A Timeline Torn
by RBnC
Summary: Danny gets trapped in an alternate Timeline. With no way of going back, he has to make a new life in a world that resembles his own, but isn't.
1. Chapter 1

Danny flies through the GiW headquarters as silent as a mouse. The hallways are stark white, just like the standard issue suits they wear. The halls are uniform in design and labelled by basement level and sector. Danny doesn't know what the sector numbers mean, but he knows he's looking for the 'T' section.

Clockwork had sent him here in an attempt to thwart the GiW's plans to rip apart time and space. Of course, they don't _know_ that's what they're going to do. But it's what is going to happen if their plans succeed.

The Father of Time had sent him because the machine the GiW were building messes with Clockworks' vision. He can't see clearly. He can barely _think_ clearly when trying to look at it.

And since Danny had only gotten closer to Clockwork over the years, he'd been more than willing to help the Time Keeper stop the GiW from dismantling all of time and space.

Willing. Not glad.

After his last venture here, he holds a lot of contempt for the GiW and all that they stand for. Back when he was a teenager, they'd been nothing more than a hindrance and a pain in his ass. Now that he's twenty four and the GiW have only gotten more desperate to eradicate all ghosts, Danny has realized just how despicable and horrifying the entire organization was.

Danny shakes his head as he passes through the 'S' wing in a vain attempt to brush his bad memories from his head. Try as he might, he can't get the memory of the GiW standing above him as he's strapped to a dissection table out of his head.

It sends chills down his spine, and not the cold chills that he's become accustomed to. It's more akin to a chill of terror and not a ghostly chill.

He shakes his head, brushing off the feeling, and focuses on finding the device Clockwork sent him after. He enters the 'T' section and starts looking in all of the rooms.

He pops into one room and the medallion around his neck burns, letting off a bright light. Danny looks around, trying to find what's making the medallion go off. He knows it's the time travel device, but he doesn't know what it looks like so he can't grab it and flee before the alarm goes off.

"Don't move Ghost Child!"

Or maybe the alarm already went off and it was just silent.

Danny turns around to see two GiW agents standing in the doorway. He hadn't even heard it open.

"Or what?"

"Or we'll shoot. Why are you here?"

Danny rolls his eyes, "I'm here to stop you from ripping apart time and space. I don't suppose you want to tell me which one of these things is your time machine prototype."

Instead of answering, one of the Agents fires at him.

Danny sighs as he easily dodges their weapons.

"Look, guys, I don't want to have to do this," He really doesn't. He tries his hardest to keep things civilized, despite his hatred for the GiW, "Let's put the guns down."

One of the agents talks into his communicator, "Lock the building down! Phantom is here!"

An alarm blares, shocking Danny and the lights blow out.

Danny turns himself invisible, knowing that he's a neon bullseye in his ghost form, and moves out of the way. The two agents keep firing. Danny is glad he moved, because they're firing erratically and hitting _everything_ in front of them.

The door slides open with a loud screech and more agents run into the room. Danny goes to flee out of the room, but something catches his eye.

"You idiots! What have you done?!" One of the newer agents hisses.

There's a small...thing on one of the desks. It almost looks like the proto portal his parents built with Vlad back in college, except the ring doesn't go all the way around. It might have, at one point, but it's broken and sparks are flying off of it.

The sparks collide in the center of the broken device and a small black ball forms, slowly expanding.

Danny has enough time to think that it looks vaguely like a black hole before a gale force wind starts drawing everything towards it. Including Danny.

Danny tries to hold onto something, but the hole is getting bigger and the wind is only getting stronger. He watches as one of the agents flies past him and gets pulled into the small black distortion.

"Control! Initiate failsafe Talo-Alpha-6-3-9!" Danny hears one of the other agents command.

Danny feels fear chill him to his core as the counter he'd been holding on to stars sliding forward.

But it doesn't really matter when the black hole expands rapidly.

He gasps and closes his eyes as it spreads past him. It feels like lightning is striking him and like something punched all of the air out of him all at the same time. He doesn't dare open his eyes as it feels like he gets ripped apart from the inside. Lights are flashing too brightly already and his eyes are closed.

It feels like dying.

It feels like stepping into the portal for the first time all over again.

He's simultaneously grateful that he doesn't have to breathe in his ghost form and terrified that he needs that ability.

Suddenly, he's thrown forward, like he's been shot out of a canon and all his body feels is relief.

His eyes snap open and he finds himself falling through the air. There's still lights dancing in front of his eyes, but he can tell that he's a few thousand feet above the ground.

He pulls in an unneeded breath and turns himself in the air. Above him, he can see a growing hole. It's spewing out debris and chunks of building.

Danny watches as it quickly expands again before retracting and collapsing in on itself with a loud **_CRACK_** , sending out a shockwave in all directions. It slams into Danny, making him fall faster.

His core sears him as it releases cold energy as he falls. He screams, barely able to turn himself intangible.

He passes through debris as he falls and he clenches his eyes shut. He can feel when he 'collides' with the ground and sinks through it. Once he's far enough underground, he releases his core's energy in an attempt to rid himself of the excess and not hurt anyone at the same time.

When he's done, he floats underground for a few seconds before turning and flying back into the sky.

He's shocked and a bit embarrassed to see the forest around him is covered in permafrost and there are spikes of ice shooting up from where he released his energy. They spear through trees and debris alike.

Something metal crashes into the ground next to Danny. He instinctively turns intangible as a barrage of debris starts colliding with the ground in rapid succession. Once he's sure nothing else is going to hit, he lands on the frost he'd made and looks around.

He doesn't know where he is, but if he had to guess, he'd guess that he's somewhere up north. It's a little colder than he's used to, though he's not really complaining. Cold is never a problem. At least…not for him and his ice core. Or maybe that's all the ice he'd made.

Danny stands on the top of his ice…disaster and looks around. He can see frost for a mile in every direction and he can see forest until the horizon.

Something feels wrong to Danny, but he brushes it off and takes flight, trying to figure out where he is. He has to be flying for a few miles before he notices siren in the distance. They sound a bit weird but Danny brushes that thought off.

He watches them while intangible and squints. They look weird too. Older. Less…modern. Where is he?

Danny remembers what he'd been trying to find in the GiW facility and panics. Was he sent back in time?

His heart races and he takes off at top speed to find civilization of some sort.

Before he can get far, something blinks into existence a couple feet in front of him. Danny recognizes it as one of Clockwork's portals. Danny races forward and through the portal before it can close on him.

Going through one of Clockwork's portals is both comforting and confusing all at once. It's familiar and it gives Danny a bit of comfort.

But the other side of the portal isn't Clockwork's lair. Not like he remembers it being. Not like it was just a few hours ago.

Everything is moving and Danny can see multiples everywhere. Danny looks around, watching as the tower shutters.

"Clockwork!" Danny calls, afraid when he doesn't see the Time Keeper, "Hey! Clockwork!"

Danny carefully floats through the tower, room by room, until he finds the main room.

 _'Why did he send me to a random room of his tower?'_ Danny worries.

The main room of the Clocktower is in shambles. It looks like something went on a rampage. Gears are sticking out of walls, other walls are missing where there should be walls, the floor curves upwards on one side, and there are two of Clockwork's portals sitting where the original used to sit.

Clockwork is sitting on the floor in front of both screens with his staff across his lap.

"Clockwork?" Danny flies over and gently lands on the floor besides the Master of Time, "What's going on? Are you alright?"

Clockwork looks up as Danny sits next to him and the Halfa notices that the Time Keeper is shaking. Violently.

"I will be fine, Daniel." Clockwork straightens up from his hunched over state, "but there is a very large problem."

Danny hesitates, and glances around the tower, "What's wrong?"

"The device I sent you to get…it went off. It sucked you in. It ripped a hole in time and space and sent you back in time."

"Shit." Danny sags, "I'm so sorry, Clockwork, I tried -"

Clockwork shakes his head, "You should not be apologizing to me, Daniel. It should be the other way around."

Danny hesitates, "I don't understand."

Clockwork looks at him, his red eyes full of despair, "You are trapped in a timeline that is not your own."


	2. Chapter 2

"What do you mean 'trapped'?" Danny asks.

His stomach tightens in fear as Clockwork sighs.

"The device tore a hole in time and space. It sent everything it touched to the other side."

Clockwork shakes his head, "I would if I could, Daniel, but the tear -"

The Time Keeper groans and curls forward, his hands dropping his staff to cover his face.

"Clockwork? What's wrong?" Danny reaches out but he stills his hands.

He can't help the Master of Time. He's never seen Clockwork _hurt_.

Clockwork makes a sounds like a wounded animal as he curls into himself tighter. Danny can only watch in fear and apprehension until Clockwork slowly uncurls.

The Master of Time blinks a few times, as if trying to figure out where he is before he turns to look at Danny. He hasn't stopped shaking and Danny can see long silver strands of hair dropping from Clockwork's hood.

"I wish…I wish I could have seen the consequences. I should not have sent you after the device."

Danny shakes his head, "Clockwork, you couldn't see anything, it made sense to ask me to go! But what does -"

"You're trapped in what you would understand to be a parallel universe." Clockwork trembles, "And I cannot send you back."

Danny tries to ask why, but he keeps choking on the words.

"I don't understand."

"The device created another timeline, one that I am being tasked with overseeing."

"I thought there were infinite timelines."

"Yes and no. Only one can exist as **the** timeline, Daniel. There cannot be two truths. That is the law of the universe. But the machine they created ripped a hole in time and space. They created another timeline on this side of the scar."

Danny shakes his head, "So…there are two timelines? My universe…whatever…it still exists. So just…send me back. Get rid of this universe."

Clockwork's face pinches into an expression of defeat and grief.

"That would require me to create another hole in time and space. And I don't have the power to do that, Daniel. I cannot create timelines, I can only guide what is there and destroy."

Danny pulls in a shaking breath – one he doesn't need in his ghost form – and licks his lips.

"You closed the hole."

"It was necessary. It spread at a geometric rate, Daniel. It was either stop it while it was small enough to be closed, or let the tear break apart all of creation."

Danny's mind races, and his breathing speeds up, "If…if I just stay here in your tower and let time play out, everything is the same." He sits up a bit taller, and uses his hands to help him convey his point, "My parents still have me and Jazz and -"

Danny deflates when Clockwork shakes his head, "When you arrived it was…very obvious to anyone within a very large range. People have video evidence of you. The disaster you left behind…it causes quite the ripple effect. The ice you left behind is composed of Ectoplasm at its core. Its very essence is ghostly in nature. More people become aware of ghosts. Your parents…Daniel there is no outcome where you have the same life. There is a small probability where you have a _similar_ life but...but there is no way for you to regain your old life."

The Time Keeper smiles forlornly and asks, "Would you be willing to kill another version of yourself to take their place? Would you be happy pretending to be a different you to a bunch of people who look like people you know?"

Danny feels the familiar sting at the back of his eyes, "I – I just -" His voice comes out thick, "Isn't there _something_ you can do? Rewind time, stop the tear from happening."

Clockwork closes his eyes and shakes his head, "I cannot control foreign time devices. It is…a flaw I have. If I were to rewind time there you would still be missing. I am _so sorry_ , Daniel. I know every language in existence and I cannot fathom a string of words to convey to you how sorry I am."

Danny breathes through his nose as he blinks back tears and he watches as a gear slowly dislocates itself from the wall.

"You're telling me…I'm stuck. In a parallel world. With no hope of _ever_ going home. Forever. I'm going to be _alone_ …forever?"

The conversation of his immortality had taken place two years ago. For Danny, at least. Functional immortality. He won't age but he isn't truly immortal. That thought scares Danny more now that he's utterly alone.

Clockwork opens his mouth to reply but falters. Danny stares upwards and blinks rapidly to stop the tears from falling. Once they start, he doesn't know how he'll get them to stop.

"I will always be here if you need me. I will do anything to -"

Danny barks out a laugh, cutting him off, "To what? Make this up to me? To make things right?"

Tears fall down his face and he looks Clockwork in the eyes, "I'm never going to _see my family again_. _**Ever**_. And if I do, they won't have any idea _who I am_."

He wants to scream. And Wail. And destroy everything in sight. He wants…

Danny shakes his head and wracks his brain for _some_ way to get home. Some flaw in Clockwork's logic.

His voice comes out shaky and thick as a thought occurs to him, "You said two timeline's can't exist. My timeline…is it…?"

"Your time is still there. But this could not happen. Not naturally. I was…made to watch over one timeline. Watch the possibilities blink in and out of existence. The device forced another timeline into existence."

"Then…then shouldn't the universe be trying to erase one of the timeline's? Or…or something?" The thought of losing his family…of them dying…it breaks his still heart.

Clockwork sighs and grabs his staff.

"So long as I can govern both timeline's, they will both stay in existence. But I will need to stay in my tower to do so. It is…exhausting...watching over one timeline. I suspect watching two will be even worse and I will need the towers help to do so."

"Can…can you…could you go see them?"

"I possess the ability to. Yes. But-"

Danny clenches his hands into fists and he cuts Clockwork off, "If you can go there _, why can't I?_ "

Clockwork shifts so he's facing Danny a bit more, "Daniel, I exist outside of time. My passing through to any timeline is easy because I will not be a paradox. I exist at all times and I am a constant truth. If I _could_ send you back without threat of ripping a hole in time and space, at this point you are in danger of becoming a paradox."

"I'm a paradox in THIS timeline!" Danny argues, "I'm not supposed to exist here!"

"You have a fair point." Clockwork sighs again, looking down and pinching the bridge of his nose.

He feels like an elephant is sitting on his chest. Not because he can't breathe. That's normal while is his ghost form. His chest feels tight and he feels like he's going to throw up. He doesn't know if he'll ever stop crying.

Clockwork grabs Danny's hand and his attention, "I promise that I will try to find a way for you to get home. But…the chance is infinitesimal. If there is a way that does not jeopardize everything in existence, I _**will**_ use it. I -"

Out of nowhere, Clockwork doubles over, clutching at his face once more. He makes wounded noises again and Danny jumps, wishing he could help in some way. It passes quicker this time, and seconds pass before Clockwork sits back upright and is gaining his bearings again.

"Why do you keep doing that? What's happening to you?" Danny worries.

"I am merely…watching the possibilities coming into existence. But there are so many. That have come and gone. On top of your timeline's…I am merely feeling overwhelmed. You could equate my pain to a migraine."

"Is…is there anything I can do for you?"

Clockwork shakes his head, "No. But thank you for the thought. The worst of it has passed."

Danny and Clockwork sit in silence as the tower slowly reorganizes itself. Danny wonders how much pain Clockwork must have been in for his domain to become so…wrecked.

Tears gather in his eyes again as he thinks of his family. He tries to hold his core in check as he starts crying again.

Danny can only take so much silence before he has to speak up, "I don't know what I'm going to do."

Clockwork presses his lips together before responding, "You could create a new life for yourself. See new things. Go to different places."

Danny sits there and considers it. He'd always wanted to see the world…but he'd wanted to do that with Sam and Tucker. "Maybe. Is…is there any way I could stay here? With you?"

Clockwork tilts his head and hums, "Perhaps when I have a better grasp on things. My domain is unstable right now. You could get lost or trapped or killed."

Danny feels like Clockwork is giving him an excuse. But he knows how to take a no for an answer so he doesn't push or complain.

Where could he go? What could he possibly do with an immortal life?

Danny sighs and pushes himself onto his feet, "I should go then."

Clockwork nods. "That…would most likely be for the best."

Danny looks down at Clockwork and smiles, trying to lessen the Master of Time's guilt.

"I'll see you around?"

Clockwork nods, "One day."

Danny turns and leaves the chaos of Clockwork's tower for the emptiness that makes up the Ghost Zone. Danny watches the vastness of the ghost zone as he floats outside of Clockwork's tower. He can't think of anywhere to go. He could ask Clockwork to send him somewhere but…

The image of Clockwork's shaken state enters his mind and he quickly dismisses the thought of asking the Timekeeper for anything. He's too wrecked to take care of his own domain, Danny can't ask him for help.

Danny thinks of what to do. There are no portals to the human world. At least, no solid portals. And Danny is not going to brave the Bermuda Triangle just to get to the human world. No matter how much he wants to be back in the human world.

No. He wants to be back in his world. It doesn't matter if he's in the human world or the Ghost Zone, this isn't his world.

Danny's core echoes his heartbeat, sending pulses of frigid temperatures throughout his body.

The cold spreading to his toes reminds him of the Far Frozen and Frostbite's words.

' _Any ghost with an ice core is welcome in the Far Frozen. No matter their need.'_

Danny feels a spark of hope in his chest as he remembers the Infi-map and it's use in sending people to where they need to go. Or where it thinks they should go.

He takes off in the direction of the Far Frozen, intending. Danny knows where the Far Frozen is just like he knew the layout of his house. He can feel the intense cold that only comes from the Far Frozen. No other place in the Ghost Zone emits that kind of ghostly chill and Danny can sense temperature differences as easily as he can breathe.

Right now, Danny has no idea where to go and he hopes the Infi-map can show him what to do or where to go. More importantly, he hopes Frostbite will listen to him and let him use the Map. He doesn't care if Frostbite has to escort him.


	3. Chapter 3

Danny sets down in the Far Frozen with worry and hope coiling in his stomach. It looks exactly like it did the last time he'd visited. Except…except it's _not_ the same. No one in the Far Frozen knows who he is. He didn't train to use his element here. Not the same _here_.

Danny stands and lets the ghostly chill of the territory seeps into his bones. It's reassuring. This place always was and Danny suspects it always will be. It's the cold. Something about the cold just…comforts him. So different than the cold from the human world.

His ghost sense goes off, alerting him to the approaching ghosts. He knows who it is. It's the resident of the Far Frozen. The Yeti like ghosts who look so much like each other.

Danny turns, easily spotting the Far Frozen's inhabitants. There are three of them moving closer to him, using the frozen landscape to cloak themselves.

"I'm not here to harm anyone!" Danny calls, letting his voice rings out over the distance, "I just want to talk to Frostbite!"

He can see them all stop moving. For almost a full minute there is no movement until they stand up to their full height and cross the distance to see him.

One of them stands at the front and asks in a commanding tone, "Who are you? And how do you know of Frostbite?"

"My name is Danny and I need Frostbite's help. Can you take me to him?"

There is a tense moment where the one in front judges him. Danny doesn't rush him. Doesn't demand or insist they do as he asks. He has all the time in the world now.

Two of the Far Frozen whisper behind the first and eventually the one in front nods.

"Very well. I shall take you to him."

Danny bows his head and tells him, "Thank you."

Danny remembers the signs of respect the Far Frozen hold dear. He remembers how to show gratitude and respect and he intends to use them while he's here. More so than he usually does.

Whenever he visited the Far Frozen – _his_ Far Frozen – the people would bow to him and show the utmost respect. Danny almost never bowed. Not out of disrespect, but because they held him in such high regard. Whenever he would bow, they would get shifty and awkward.

It was weird being on a pedestal. But as the Yeti in front of him returns the sign of respect, Danny feels a bit of relief. He doesn't have to act like some high and mighty savior. He can just be Danny here.

Danny stands from his bow and follows the Far Frozen to the city. Danny knows the way, but he also knows that anyone who shows up in the city uninvited is regarded much more suspiciously.

It doesn't take long for them to arrive in the populated area of the Far Frozen. It's not quite large enough to be a city, but it's far too big to be a village. Perhaps it could be classified as a town?

The lead Yeti turns to Danny and points to the main hall.

"Frostbite is most likely in there. I hope he can help you in your endeavor."

"Thank you." Danny bows again, clasping his hands together, "For your help."

The Yeti bows and the three of them leave, back out to patrol the frozen tundra.

Danny turns and heads towards the main hall. He's happy that none of the Far Frozen give him more than a cursory glance. He was brought in, therefor he belongs here.

Danny walks up the steps and opens the door, entering the main hall. Inside is a round room and in a circle sits seven Yeti's with Frostbite at the front.

They all look up as Danny closes the door behind him and then bows, trying to be as respectful as possible.

"My apologies for the interruption." Danny says as he straightens up, "If you had a minute, I was hoping to talk to you, Frostbite."

There is a small amount of murmuring before the other Far Frozen stand and leave the room.

Danny hesitates for a moment before sitting directly in front of Frostbite with his legs crossed and his hands in his lap. He remembers to keep his spine straight because Frostbite is the chief.

"I must apologize. I do not know you, yet you were able to pick me out."

"It's fine," Danny mulls over whether he should refer to Frostbite as chief or not and eventually decides against it, "My name is Danny."

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Danny." Frostbite looks over him with a keen eye, "You are familiar with the ways of the Far Frozen?"

"Yes." Danny chews on his tongue lightly as he mulls over how honest he should be with Frostbite. Eventually, Danny decides on complete honesty because that has always been what Frostbite gave him.

"I trained here when I was younger."

Frostbites face turns to surprise and a small amount of suspicion, "Who was your teacher?"

Danny knows Frostbite has been chief for hundreds of years and he has always taught newcomers to control their ice.

"You were. And I know that sounds like a lie, but…it's the truth." Danny carefully pulls his hands up and easily forms a small diamond made of ice, "I got sent into the past through…unfortunate circumstances. And I can't get back."

Frostbite does not reply so Danny continues, nervous, "When I first discovered my ice core, you helped me master those powers. And you told me that anyone with an ice core was welcome in the Far Frozen. For any reason. I _need_ your help."

Frostbite nods, brows furrowed, "That does sound like something I would say."

Danny lets the diamond of ice dissipate as he watches Frostbite mull things over.

"Say I believe you. What is it you need from me and my people?"

Danny takes a deep breath, "I need…I need to use the Infi-map."

Frostbite stands from his seat like a bullet shocking Danny.

" _ **Who told you of the Infi-map**_?" Frostbite bellows, face contorting into an expression of rage.

"You did. You let me use it to get home."

"And who are you? Why would I divulge my people's greatest secret to an outsider? Why would I risk our safety to let _you_ get back to your territory?"

"Because you and your people saw me as a hero for defeating Pariah Dark." Danny is loath to admit that fact, "And you wanted to help me in any way you could."

Frostbite stills at the mention of Pariah Dark.

"How do you know that name? He has not been mentioned in centuries. Ghosts as young as yourself should not know of him."

"Like I said. I defeated him. I know you don't believe I could -"

Frostbite shakes his large, furry head, "That is not…I believe you have the power within you to take on Pariah."

Danny is a little shocked at Frostbites confession. He'd had a load of help defeating Pariah. The suit. And Plasmius. For Frostbite to tell him he could sense that much power…

"It is a lot to take in. My apologies for raising my tone," Frostbite bows his head.

"Please don't. Don't do that." Danny winces, "In this time…Pariah is still asleep. I've done nothing for you and your people. There is no need to bow to me."

Frostbite straightens up, "Perhaps not in this time, but at one point you took on Pariah. But if it makes you uncomfortable, I will refrain from bowing."

Danny stands and faces Frostbite, "I understand if you are unwilling to let me use the Infi-map. But I…I have no idea what to do. And you told me the map can take people to where they _need_ to go."

"I cannot give you the map." Frostbite sighs, looking weary, "But I _can_ escort you. And I cannot guarantee that the map will take you anywhere."

Danny can feel tears of relief spring into his eyes and he bows, clasping both hands together, "Thank you. You don't know what this means to me."

There is a moment of silence before Danny feels Frostbites frozen hand clasp his shoulder, "If I am unable to bow to you, then I must ask that you do not bow to me."

Danny stands up straight and smiles as he wipes away the tears, "I can do that."

"Good. Now, come along." Frostbite turns and leaves the main hall.

Danny floats out of the main hall after him. He easily catches up to the Yeti and starts walking alongside him. Now that he's older and a lot taller, it's easier to keep up with Frostbite's impressive stride.

"So, tell me, Danny." Frostbite looks down at him, "How is it that you and I first met. For you?"

Danny laughs, even though he doesn't particularly feel like laughing at the reminder that this isn't quite his mentor.

"I was exploring the ghost zone with my best friends and…" Danny stops walking as he trails off, "I was being stupid and we got lost."

Frostbite stops and turns to look at him.

"You actually attacked us. There was a chuck of ice lodged in your back. I got it out and…" Danny shrugs, "And then you brought us here and you let us use the map."

Danny shakes the thought of Sam and Tucker out of his head and forces back the tears at the thought of never seeing them again. He starts walking again, glad that Frostbite follows his lead and doesn't ask questions.

"My apologies. Your friends are…"

"Nonexistent. When I got thrown through time I…I got erased. I don't exist. In essence, I am a paradox. Even if they do, they would have no idea who I am."

Danny thinks about his own words. He's a paradox now. So why had Clockwork not erased him? Why let Danny go? Was he in so much pain that it had slipped his mind? Would he come after Danny later?

"There is something else troubling you?" Frostbite asks, jarring Danny from his thoughts.

"Yes, but…nothing we should dwell on."

They reach the cave that holds the Infi-map with a suffocating silence following them. When Frostbite orders the guards to move aside and brings Danny in with him, the two guards give Danny suspicious looks. But Danny brushes it off as Frostbite opens the chest holding the Infi-map and holds it up.

"Do you have _any_ idea of where you need to go or what you need to do?" Frostbite asks him.

His voice sounds pinched, as if he wishes Danny would tell him he had some idea. But he doesn't. He doesn't know what time period he's in. He doesn't know what to do. He doesn't know where to go.

Danny doesn't have to give any answer, verbal or physical, for Frostbite to sigh and unroll the map. Danny reaches up and grabs one side of the map as Frostbite grips the other side tightly.

"I don't really know what to say." Danny murmurs, unsure of the request to voice to the map.

"It is understandable." Frostbite clears his throat before ordering the map, "Take the ghost child to his destiny."

Danny expects to be whisked away instantaneously. Like the map had done the first time he'd spoken to it. But it sits in their grip, inactive and silent.

"Is…is it working?" Danny asks.

"I would like to believe so. But it was an unusual request. Perhaps the map cannot fulfil your request."

Danny frowns, "But the map can take people where they need to go. You told me it could take people where they need to go and not where they ask."

Frostbite looks at Danny with sadness in his eyes, "I am sorry, child. But it would appear that the map does not know where you need to go."

Tears well up in Danny's eyes as his chest tightens, "I…I guess it makes sense."

Right as Danny is about to let go of the map, it lights up, shocking both Frostbite and Danny. Then there is the familiar sensation of being whisked across the Ghost Zone at the speed of light.


	4. Chapter 4

Danny takes a deep breath when the Infi-Map stops. Not that he needs it, but it is instinct that makes him do it. Danny looks around, noticing he's in an alleyway in the human world. It's dark out. Dark enough the Danny doesn't think anyone is out right now.

"Peculiar. Why would the map bring you here?" Frostbite asks, reminding Danny of his presence.

"Who knows." Danny laughs, looking out to the street.

"What do you plan to do?" Frostbite turns to Danny, "Haunt someone? Make a little mischief?"

Danny laughs at Frostbites teasing, "No. I'm not really…that kind of person. I think I'll try to make a life for myself. It's what Clockwork suggested. I just don't know where to start."

There is a bit of silence before Frostbite's voice echoes in the empty alleyway, "I don't think you could blend in enough to make a life in the human world, child."

Danny looks up at Frostbite in confusion for a few seconds before he's reminded that this Frostbite doesn't know about his secret.

Danny summons his power and changes from Phantom to Fenton.

"I kind of fit in in both worlds." Danny chuckles, "I'm a halfa."

Frostbite stares at him in shock before smiling, "It seems you are full of surprises."

Danny shrugs and stuffs his hands into the front pocket of the hoodie he'd been wearing, "I hear that a lot."

Frostbite nods before holding up the map, "I wish you the best of luck, child. I hope you find your place."

"Thank you. For everything, Frostbite." Danny steps forward and hugs Frostbite.

It's not uncommon for the Far Frozen, but it is rare. For them, there are better ways to express gratitude. But right now Danny can't think of any.

Frostbite hugs him back, "Remember you are always welcome in the Far Frozen, young one."

Danny steps back and smiles again, "Thank you."

And just like that, Frostbite speaks a few words and he's gone in a flash.

And just like that, Danny is left alone in a world he doesn't know. Danny stands alone in the alleyway, suddenly wondering if this was really such a good idea. He's by himself and while the cold doesn't really bother him, it registers in his brain that it is really cold.

He doesn't know where he is. He doesn't even know _when_ he is.

Danny sighs and leaves the alley. He steps onto the open street and looks around. It's just as dark out here despite the lit street lamps. The street lamps give off an orange glow, casting a warm but creepy light down the street.

Nothing moves. There are no cars parked on the street. There are no people. There are no animals. There aren't even any insects making ambient sounds. It's far too silent.

If he weren't used to fighting ghosts and hanging out in the ghost zone, he'd probably creeped out.

He looks both ways down the street, trying to decide which way to go. He turns right and walks down the street.

' _Everything will be fine,'_ He tells himself. It has to.

But Danny starts wondering just how he's going to make a life here. He has nothing he'd need to make a life. He has no valid ID. No birth certificate. No money.

While that last one would be easy to obtain with a job, the others are impossible to get legally. Since he was never technically born.

He starts crossing the street when he hears something that makes his stomach drop.

"Just give us the bag, sweetie, and we won't hurt you. Too badly."

Before he can stop himself – before he can convince himself this isn't his problem or that this is a bad idea – he's heading down the street.

' _Me and my hero complex,'_ Danny shakes his head as he comes up to the group.

There are five of them, all dressed like clichés from a greaser movie. The leader –and he's obviously the leader – is holding up a butterfly knife and the others all have a weapon of some sort. They're circled around a young woman that Danny can't see all that well.

"Just give us the bag!" The leader hisses.

"Or you could give her a break and leave." Danny interrupts, drawing the attention from the girl to himself.

The leader turns to Danny and looks down his nose at him.

"Who the hell are you?" He sneers, pointing the knife at Danny.

"A concerned citizen." Danny deadpans, "Leave the lady alone. She's done nothing to deserve this."

Danny wonders if he's going to have to take this guy down. It wouldn't be hard, even with the knife, considering Danny's strength and training.

"Leave, _pal_. Or you'll regret it."

Danny sighs and shakes his head, "You don't want to fight me, man. Just go."

The leader scowls and steps forward, closer to Danny. He lashes out with the knife. Danny reacts quickly, grabbing the wrist with his right hand, stopping the knife from even getting close to him. He twists the guys' arm and tightens his grip. His other hand lashes out and hits the man's elbow.

If the sick crack that echoes down the street is any indication, Danny broke his elbow.

The attacker screams and falls to his knees as he drops the knife. Danny slams his knee into his face, knocking him backwards. Danny lets go of his wrist and lets him fall, unconscious.

Danny feels a little guilty attacking a human, but he hadn't even tried all that hard. In fact…he hadn't tried at all.

Danny looks over to the others of the group. Each of them looks skittish. Danny reaches down and grabs the leaders butterfly knife and flicks it closed, using a little more flare than needed.

He steps over the unconscious leaders body and the other men scatter like the wind, leaving their friend behind on the pavement.

Danny makes sure they're gone before making his way over to their victim. When he gets close enough, he stops short.

This close, he can see her face very clearly. She's scared and clutching her bag to her chest. She looks more skittish than the guys who fled.

"Are you okay?" Danny uses as calming of a voice as he can, despite how dry his throat suddenly is.

She nods rapidly and takes a step back. She looks around, eyes flickering around. Danny doesn't move any closer to her.

"Thank you, um…" She looks him over, more than likely trying to gauge if she should bolt as well.

"I'm Danny." It feels so weird telling her his name.

"Well…thank you, Danny." Her eyes flicker over to the unconscious man behind Danny, "So much."

"It's not a problem. Really." Danny feels a little queasy staring at her. She looks…so wrong.

Not quite right.

Danny's mind runs wild. Why here? Why now? Why this time period? Why did the map bring him here?

"Do you want me to walk you home?" Danny offers.

"No. No, thank you. It's just two blocks from here." She turns and takes a few steps.

Before Danny can move, she turns around and looks at Danny.

"Okay, maybe I would feel…a little better if…if maybe you walked me home? I know, everyone says not to trust strangers but…I mean you did just save my life."

"Would it make you feel safer if we walked in well-lit streets?"

"That…that would help. I'm sure my boyfriend would feel better if we did that. He's probably waiting for me at home."

Danny smiles, "Alright. We'll do that then."

Danny walks over to her and they start walking down the street.

"You're not going to ask where I live?"

"No? You know where you live. I'm just making sure you get home safe. I'm sure your boyfriend would appreciate it."

Danny looks down at her and it a little disorienting. While he's used to being taller than her, he's not used to being _this much_ taller than her.

She keeps picking at her back and looking around, nervous.

"I'm a black belt," She suddenly tells him, "I know how to defend myself. Well…kind of."

She laughs nervously and Danny waits for her to continue as they turn a corner onto another street.

In front of him he can see the campus for the University of Wisconsin.

"I guess practice is a lot different, though."

"Yeah, it is." Danny agrees. Learning to fight and using what you learned in a fight had been drastically different.

"You…you train?" She asks, suddenly looking nervous again.

"Yeah. MMA and Tai Kwan Do. Black belt in each." It feels weird telling her that since she'd _been there_ when he'd graduated both times.

"Well…uh…thank you. Again. For saving me."

"It's not any trouble. I do this a lot actually. I have a pretty bad hero complex."

"Oh?" She laughs, "Do you often save damsels in distress?"

"Not always damsels." Danny tilts his head, "Not always in distress."

"Well it's nice to know there are good people like you around." She gives him a look and he realizes she's teasing him.

It makes his chest hurt just a bit.

It makes his chest hurt a lot.

"Thanks. I try."

"Well, if it makes you feel any better, you're my hero."

"Don't mention it." Danny scratches the bridge of his nose before stuffing his hands into the pockets of his pants.

They walk onto the campus and Maddie leads the way. Danny makes a mental note so he can backtrack when he needs to.

"This is my building." She points ahead.

Danny walks her up the six steps to the front door where he can see a guard sitting inside, giving Danny a dirty look. Maddie opens the door and shows her ID to the guard, who nods and clears her.

Instead of disappearing inside like Danny expected, she turns around.

"Is there something I can do to repay you?" Maddie asks as she stands in the doorway of her dorm building.

"Actually, now that you mention it…could you tell me where the nearest Homeless Shelter is?"

At first, terror had flashed its way across her face, thinking he was probably going to make some sick request but it's quickly replaced with shock.

"Oh. Um. I…I actually would have no idea. I'm so sorry."

Danny smiles and waves, "It's alright. Don't worry about it. Stay safe."

He turns and walks down the steps of the building.

"Wait!" Danny stops and turns around to see her standing in the doorway with an embarrassed face.

"Yeah?" Danny asks from his spot, not particularly inclined to walk back up the steps.

"I totally forgot my manners." She laughs, "I'm Maddie."

Danny smiles, "It's nice to meet you, Maddie."

Danny turns again and leaves, the ache in his chest feeling like a fire.


	5. Chapter 5

Danny sits in Central Park and watches the world pass by. It's nice and quiet here and Danny finds himself enjoying the silence. He used to hate it – just sitting in silence – but ever since his _forced relocation_ three days ago, he's wanted nothing but quiet.

In this park, Danny's brain goes quiet.

He can turn his brain off here. It's so easy. No one knows him so no one bothers him.

Danny found out that it's the year 1982. Three years before his parents graduate and almost a year before the accident. The one that that turned Vlad into a half-dead villain.

At least, that's what happened in his universe. This is a new timeline, completely separate from the one he knew. For all he knows, Vlad might not turn into a Halfa when he gets hit by the portal. _If_ he gets hit by the portal.

Danny had tossed around the idea of interfering, making sure Vlad never gets hit by the portal and never gets his powers. He never blames Danny's parents.

Except they're not his parents. Not in this universe, anyway. It's Maddie and Jack. They don't have kids. No Jasmine. No Daniel.

Maybe his mind isn't as blank as he'd thought.

Danny sighs and stands. He should really find somewhere to stay. Being homeless isn't easy – or fun – in any way.

He shoves his hands into his pants pockets and walks away from the bench he'd been siting on.

He should probably try to find a job; that might make getting food and a place to stay a little easier. If he had to he could even find a shelter to stay in for a while. If only he had a way to get money to feed himself.

Danny is so engrossed in his own thoughts that he doesn't notice the person coming his way until he slams into them.

Danny falls backwards and lands on his ass with a grunt and a groan. His hands had been in his pockets so he wasn't able to catch himself.

"I'm so sorry, man!" Danny recognizes the voice, just like he recognized his mom that night.

Danny looks up to find Jack Fenton in front of him. He's offering his hand to help him back up.

"It's okay. I was being a space cadet." Danny jokes uneasily and pulls his hands from his pockets to take Jack's hand.

"Okay, it wasn't just me." Jack laughs as he pulls Danny to his feet, "You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." Danny assures him, dusting off his ass with his hands.

That's when he notices Jack picking up a few books. He must have dropped them when Danny slammed into him. Dany kneels next to Jack and helps him pick up all of his books. Once everything is picked up and back in Jack's hands, they both stand up.

It feels so weird seeing Jack in front of him. It's his father but also not.

"Thanks, man," Jack's loud voice prevents him from reflecting too much on the fact that his not-quite-father is standing in front of him, "I haven't seen you around before."

Danny laughs nervously, "Yeah, I kind of arrived in town three nights ago."

"Okay," Jack frowns for a moment before smiling wide and sticking out his hand for Danny to shake, "I'm Jack. Jack Fenton."

Danny smiles, trying to be polite, and shakes Jack's hand, "Danny."

Jack pauses, grip tight around Danny's hand.

"Danny?"

Danny tilts his head to the side, "Yeah. Short for Daniel."

"You…uh…you didn't _happen_ to save a girl from getting mugged a few nights ago, did you?"

Danny wants to laugh. Of course she'd told Jack.

"You mean Maddie? Yeah. That was me."

Jack steps forward and Danny suddenly finds himself in a bone crushing hug.

"Thank you!" Jack practically screams before letting Danny go, "You have no idea how worried we were! I wanted to walk her to her dorm but she said it was just a few blocks. You saved her life!"

Danny doesn't know how to respond to that so he settles for his default, "It was nothing, really."

"No, man. She means the world to me. And our friends. How can I thank you?"

"There's no need, really!" Danny throws his hands up, trying to convey just how much that was not needed.

"I know! How about lunch? My treat!"

Jack grabs one of Danny's raised arms and starts dragging him along, out of the park and down the street.

Danny could easily break free from Jack's grip – or at the very least faze through it – but he doesn't want to hurt Jack or reveal his powers.

Plus he's really hungry, if his stomach growling is any indication.

Jack laughs at the sound and Danny can feel his face lighting up crimson. Jack rambles on about how amazing it was that he ran into Danny. He tunes most of it out as he easily keeps up with Jack's large stride.

Jack towers over Danny. An inch or two shorter than when he was in his fifties, but still over six feet tall. Danny is used to his father's large strides, so keeping up with him now is easy. It became a lot easier to keep up with his dad once he'd finally hit his growth spurt at nineteen. Jazz had teased him mercilessly about being a late bloomer, even though she was too. She quickly stopped when Danny grew until he was six foot even and put on a good amount of muscle.

"You don't have to buy me lunch, really. I'm fine." He tries to interject, but Jack talks over him.

' _Some things never change,'_ Danny thinks.

They turn a corner and Danny can see a small diner. The signs reads _'Jim and Clara's Diner'_. Jack leads him inside before Danny can convince him that this really isn't necessary.

Jack leads him through the diner with an ease that suggests he comes here often. Jack suddenly comes to a stop in front of a table and Danny barely manages to not walk into his back.

"You're never going to guess who I found, Mads!" Jack pulls Danny forward and Danny is greeted with a familiar face.

Maddie stares up at him in shock from her seat in the booth.

"Danny!"

"Yeah!" Jack butts in before Danny can say anything, "I literally ran into him on my way here."

Jack pushes Danny into the booth and follows suit, effectively blocking his only way out.

"So you decided to bring him to lunch?" There's another girl in the booth – who looks like a young Harriet, but Danny can't be sure since he's only met her twice back when he was fourteen – sitting next to Maddie.

"I thought it'd be a nice way to thank him for saving Maddie." Jack defends, dropping his book and binder on the floor beneath the table.

Maddie looks over to Danny who smiles sheepishly in return.

"Jack," Maddie sighs, "He doesn't' look comfortable with this."

Danny's stomach decides that now is a fine time to interject its two cents into the conversation. Danny sinks in the booth seat in mortification.

"Well at least part of him is cool with it!" The other girl laughs, apparently siding with Jack.

"Jack, you should listen more to what people say. You can't just ignore other people's wants because you want something different."

"Mads, the guy is starving. I'm just tryin' to -"

"It's okay!" Danny blurts from his sunken spot, "It's fine. Please stop fighting."

It sounds too much like his own parents arguing and Danny hates that sound. Even in the past, seeing his not-parents fighting is just so _uncomfortable._

The other girl snorts, "You heard him. Stop fighting, you two. You're like an old married couple."

Jack and Maddie both sit back in their seats, looking upset, but dropping the subject.

A few seconds of public silence ring on before Maddie turns to Danny and asks, "So you're okay with this?"

"The thought of food is nice, I just hate taking money from people." Danny confesses.

"Nonsense!" Jack blurts before quickly looking over to Maddie, "I mean…uh. Would it make you feel any better if I said I was already planning to treat a friend but he had to bail last minute?"

"A little. I guess."

"Great!"

Maddie shakes her head at Jacks antics and turns to Danny, "It is good to see you again, Danny. I was hoping I could thank you again."

"It's fine. Really."

Danny doesn't know how he got stuck in this situation.

First off, he's sitting with his parents. But they're not his parents. They're probably not even _together_ at this point.

Second, he's sitting in the past. He knows what's going to happen. He knows things that no one else knows. He could so easily change it. But how? Subtle was never really his forte.

Sneaky, yes.

Subtle, no.

"Oh, Danny. I almost forgot. This is Harriet." Maddie introduces the other girl.

Danny waves and Harriet returns the gesture with a smile.

Waitress comes over and drops off a few menu's, talking to Maddie like they're friends. They probably are. Harriet and Jack don't say anything about it so Danny assumes it's a normal thing.

Danny looks over the menu and quickly decides he wants a burger. Nothing fancy and probably the cheapest thing on the menu. And it'll fill him up enough to shut his stomach up.

Jack nudges Danny in the side and snaps Danny out of his thoughts. Danny looks up to find the waitress looking at him expectantly.

"Do you know what you want to order, cutie, or do I need to come back in a bit?"

Danny blushes in embarrassment, "I'll just take the burger."

Danny hands over his menu as Jack pipes up, "And a side of fries."

The waitress laughs and jots it down, "And to drink?"

Danny doesn't know what they serve to drink. He doesn't even know the options of the time period.

"Just water, thanks."

The waitress nods before walking off.

"Oooh, I think Jenny likes Danny." Harriet laughs, leaning forward and faux whispering, "And she doesn't like _anyone._ "

"That's not true," Maddie rolls her eyes, "She likes plenty of people."

"She doesn't _flirt_ with a lot of them."

"She probably flirts to get bigger tips." Danny suggests as Jenny comes back with a tray of drinks, shocking Danny.

She was fast, passing out the drinks with a smiles before leaving again.

"So, Danny. Do you live around here?" Jack asks, trying to make small talk as they wait for their food.

Danny glances over to Maddie who quickly looks away. She hadn't mentioned that he was homeless.

"No, actually." Danny shrugs, "I'm kind of homeless."

There's a moment of silence as Harriet and Jack stare at him. Danny brings his hands up and moves them in small waves. Jazz hands.

"Surprise?"

"You're homeless?" Harriet asks in disbelief.

"Yeah."

"But…you don't look homeless. Weird, sure, but not homeless."

"What is a homeless person supposed to look like?" Danny asks, upset, "Besides, it's a very recent development."

"What happened?" Jack asks before quickly adding, "I mean, if you don't mind telling us."

Danny shrugs, trying to appear casual despite the lump in his throat and the pit in his stomach.

"I was forced out of my life and into Wisconsin through extenuating circumstances. I lost my family, my friends, and my home. I can't go back. There's nothing to go back _to_. The only thing I can do is try to go forward." His hands shake but his voice remains steady.

Danny knows it's true, but he has no idea how he's supposed to go about doing that.

"I'm so sorry. I had no idea."

Danny smiles and waves them off, "It's no big deal. Really."

"When did this happen?" Harriet asks, looking nervous.

"Mm, three days ago?"

"You mean...around when you saved me?" Maddie asks, looking pensive.

"A little before that, yeah."

He feels ill thinking about this. Thankfully, Jenny – the waitress – comes back with their food before an awkward silence can settle. She talks with Maddie about classes as she passes out their food.

Danny stares a bit at the burger placed in front of him. It's huge. And the order of fries is huge, too. Danny is so happy he might actually be full instead of satisfied.

With his appetite, Danny could easily eat twice what any normal person could eat.

Even as hungry as he is, he waits for the others to start eating first. Once the others have started, Danny digs in to his meal, incredibly happy that Jack wouldn't take no for an answer.

Before he knows what happened, he's done with his burger and is digging into the side of fries Jack had ordered for him.

"Jeez, how hungry were you?" Harriet asks with a laugh, her own meal barely touched.

"A lot hungrier than I thought," Danny admits, "I haven't really eaten in three days."

"I've only ever seen Jack eat like that and you're…well you're not tiny but you're definitely not _huge._ "

"My metabolism is insanely high," Danny chuckles nervously.

It's true. Because of his halfa status, his metabolism shot through the roof. It wasn't so bad at first, but once his core really presented itself his metabolism had skyrocketed. On a normal night he could easily eat more than his dad. On a night where he was exhausted or particularly hungry, he could eat almost quadruple what a normal hungry person could.

"Lucky. Mine is practically nonexistent." Jack pouts.

"You and me both," Harriet groans, poking at her own food, "I have to work my butt off to keep this figure. Especially with how badly we eat."

Maddie shakes her head, ignoring Jack and Harry's conversation, "So tell me about yourself, Danny."

Danny freezes with a fry in his hand, "What do you want to know?"

Maddie shrugs, "Where are you from? What are your hobbies? That kind of stuff."

"Well, I was born in Amity Park-"

"No way!" Jack interrupts.

Danny doesn't remember his dad being this rude. Oh, wait. Yeah. He does. Loud and rude and slightly obnoxious but in an oddly endearing way.

"Maddie and I are both from Amity Park!"

"Jack, Danny was talking." Maddie scolds him.

"No, its fine." Danny laughs, "My dad used to do the same thing all the time." It's the truth. Technically.

Danny almost misses Jack's face drop. Almost.

"No, I didn't mean it like that." Danny tries to backtrack, shaking his hands as if trying to clear the air, "I just meant, well, I'm used to it."

Jack mutters something but Maddie changes the subject, "So what did you like to do? Before...relocating?"

"Well," Danny pauses. He can't exactly tell them about ghost hunting and that, coupled with his classes, had taken all of his free time.

"Well, mainly I just hung out with my friends and went to school. Didn't have much free time with all of my responsibilities. But I really like Astronomy, if that answers your question."

"You mean, like, how the sun and the starts effect your personality or whatever?" Harriet scrunches up her nose.

Danny laughs, "That's Astrology. Astronomy is the study of stars and space. I just…really like space. It's fascinating." Going up into space when he was younger had only strengthened that fascination.

"It's creepy. But I suppose it's all in how you view it. I mean, these two think ghosts are real." She motions over to Jack and Maddie who glare at Harriet.

"Harry!"

"You don't?" For a second, Danny forgets he's not back in Amity Park or even in his time where ghosts are a daily occurrence thanks to his parents' ghost portal.

All three of them stare at Danny for a second before Harriet drops her head onto her arms and groans, "Not another one."

"Is something wrong?" Danny asks in confusion.

"Ghosts aren't _real_." She groans.

Danny wonders how left out she must feel with Jack and Maddie being so obsessed with ghosts. If they're half as obsessed now as they are in the future, he imagines she must feel really left out.

Then he wonders just how close Harriet is to Vlad. Had they been friends at all or just acquaintances? Had she visited Vlad often while he was in the hospital? Had she visited at all?

Would she now? If it happened again?

"Just because you don't believe they exist doesn't mean they don't." Maddie scowls.

"It all depends on the person?" Danny shrugs, trying to stop anyone from fighting.

The conversation is interrupted when Jenny comes back over and asks if they need anything else. Jack asks for the check. She walks away, leaving their little group in silence. Danny watches everyone else at the table pull out money and feels guilt gnaw at him.

Jenny comes back with a check and notices the awkward silence.

"Did someone say something mean?" She asks, looking around and Harriet rolls her eyes.

"The topic of ghosts came up. Danny believes."

Jenny looks over to Danny who shrugs.

"Good. Jack and Maddie need more people who share their interests. The hermit only goes so far."

Jack and Maddie stand from the tablet followed by Harriet and Danny.

"Thanks for the great service, Jen." Maddie hugs her.

"Thanks for the nice tip." Jenny laughs, "And of course, someone to talk to."

Jack, Maddie and Harriet all leave and Danny awkwardly follows them out with a wave goodbye to Jenny.

"So what are you gonna do?" Harriet asks as they stand in front of the diner, "Hassle your roommate?"

Suddenly it's like there was no weirdness involving ghosts. Danny doesn't understand how a group can change moods so fast.

"Probably. If he's even in."

"I have a lecture to get to." Maddie sighs, "I should probably get going if I want to be on time."

"Oh, I have a class in thirty minutes. I can walk you." Harriet offer.

"Sure!"

As then, as one, they turn to look at Danny. He understands what a deer feels like when it's in headlights.

"What?" He asks.

"What are you going to do?"

"Uh…" He thinks about it, "Try to find a homeless shelter. They're a lot harder to find than you think. No one knows where one is." Danny laces his hands together behind his head.

There's an awkward moment of silence as they all collectively remember that _Danny is homeless._

"I've decided!" Jack nearly yells, startling Danny, "You'll come stay with me until you can get back on your feet!"

Danny stares for a moment before blurting out, "What?"

"You'll stay with me 'n my roommate!"

Maddie tries to but in, "Jack, I don't think -"

Jack grabs Danny's arm again and drags him along, ignoring Maddie and Danny's protests, "I don't know why I didn't think of this earlier!" Jack chirps as he drags Danny along.

"Jack, this isn't necessary."

"Of course it is! My parents always taught me to help those in need. And I don't know anyone who needs something like you need a place to stay!"

Danny lets Jack drag him around as he remembers his father sitting him down and telling him the exact same thing. Always help the less fortunate. Help those in need. Even if you don't care for them.

It's like a slap to the face. Danny has spent his whole life living by that principle. And now that he was really in need, Jack was here offering to help him because he truly believes in what he said.

Before he knows what's happening, he's up three flights of stairs and Jack is barging into a dorm room with Danny right behind him.

"I'm back!" Jack nearly screams and Danny feels sorry for Jack's neighbors.

"Welcome back. Please be quiet, Jack, I'm trying to study."

Danny tenses. He knows that voice.

Jack pulls Danny forward and gestures to the man sitting on the couch, "Danny this is my roommate, Vlad. Vlad, this is Danny. He's going to be staying with us for a while!"


	6. Chapter 6

The room is silent before Vlad snaps out of his stupor, "Please tell me you're kidding, Jack."

Vlad puts his work aside and stands up to face Jack. Vlad is a few inches shorter than Jack and probably only an inch taller than Danny himself. He's thin – thinner than the Vlad that Danny knows – and not even in the realm of menacing. His hair…definitely belongs in the eighties. So do his clothes. Which is appropriate, since…they are in the eighties.

Danny realizes that he must stand out so bad here.

"Of course not, V-Man. Danny needs a place to stay and I can help him."

"I don't -" Danny tries to cut in, but both men ignore him to keep talking.

"Jack, you can't keep taking in strays. You may have money to spare on others, but some of us don't." Vlad crosses his arms.

"But Vlad, he's the guy who saved Maddie and he's homeless. What was I supposed to do?"

"Point him to the nearest homeless shelter." Vlad hisses, leaning forward just a bit.

Danny tries to ask where that would be, but Jack's loud voice refuses to let him be heard.

"Vlad, you know I have to help him. It's the right thing to do."

"You are such an idiot, Jack!"

Danny stops. That…didn't sound right. He's heard Vlad insult his father in every way imaginable over the years. But here…that sounded…wrong. There wasn't any malice or contempt anywhere. There was anger, sure, but it didn't sound anything like what Danny is used to.

"Vlad, I -"

"He could be a murderer for all you know!" Danny stares in shock as Vlad manages to cut Jack off. He's never heard anyone but his mom cut his dad off.

Jack glares at Vlad, "Why would he save Maddie and then kill someone else?"

"Why does anyone kill? He could be a sociopath. He could be a psychopath." Vlad argues.

'And here we see the difference between a Slytherin and a Hufflepuff.' Danny thinks to himself with a smirk.

Very suddenly he realizes that Harry Potter isn't out yet. The first book won't be released for another twelve years.

'I'm going to need to keep the references to myself,' he worries.

Danny tunes back into the conversation when he hears Vlad snap, "Don't you dare make that face, Jack Fenton!"

Danny looks over to see his not-father pouting. Legitimately pouting.

Vlad's face scrunches into anger and the pouting intensifies. Danny covers his mouth to stop from laughing. This was not what he'd been expecting to happen.

"I'm serious, Jack. I don't want him staying here."

Danny starts inching backwards towards the door when Jack's shoulders drop and Danny hears him whine, "Please?"

Vlad presses his lips together and hunches his shoulders up as he scowls at Jack. There's a silent staring contest but it ends in less than a minute when Vlad looks away and sighs.

"Fine. Fine, he can stay but if he kills me, I'm haunting your ass."

Jack cheers and grabs Danny, pulling him into a hug.

"Okay, you can sleep on the couch," Jack points to the couch across from the door that Vlad had been sitting on. "We sleep in there and there are only two beds, sorry. I think I have a spare blanket around here somewhere." Jack goes through the door to - where Danny is assuming they sleep - and starts rummaging around.

"That's fine." Danny tells him.

Danny looks at Vlad and can't believe he caved. The Vlad that Danny knew would have held his ground. Would have kept to his argument just to spite Jack. And yet…here he is, caving because Jack said please.

"I know I have a box with a big comforter in here somewhere." Jack groans from the other room, making a bigger ruckus. Vlad covers his mouth with one hand and turns his head away from Danny.

When his parents had said best friend they'd meant it. Danny knows – logically, somewhere in the back of his mind – that Vlad is an entirely different person before the accident. But seeing it, here and now, right in front of him is…eye opening. For once he considers exactly how traumatizing Vlad's accident had been. How it had scarred him – physically and mentally – for years. Vlad's ghost half just made the hatred and resentment worse.

His own accident had been…horrible. He'd had nightmares about it for years, still does. The first month was the worst but after that they got…bearable. Sometimes he has a particularly vivid dream about the accident and he wakes up crying. He couldn't even go down into the lab for two weeks without freaking out.

It had felt like dying. Of course it had; he'd died, even if only partially.

The only reason he'd managed to get through it was because of Sam and Tucker.

He might have turned out like Vlad if it weren't for Sam and Tucker keeping him grounded. He'd had people there for him. They may not have understood – not like Danny wanted them to – but they cared enough to try and that's all that really mattered. They'd helped him learn about his powers and the Ghost Zone. They'd helped him find ways to manage his powers and how to develop them.

If he'd had to do that alone…

"Aha!" Jack jumps up with a large comforter in hand. It came from under Jack's bed and is covered in dust and lint. Danny doesn't think it's seen the light of day for quite some time.

"Uhh." Danny raises a brow at it.

He'd rather sleep without a blanket than sleep with that thing.

"Jack, you can't expect him to sleep with that dirty thing." Vlad rolls his eyes, but there's a small pull at his lips like he finds Jack endearing.

It's unnerving and it throws Danny for a loop.

"It's fine." Jack stares at Vlad, confused.

"Jack you haven't touched that since we got here." Vlad crosses his arms and Danny is reminded - vaguely - of a parent explaining something to a child, "You need to wash it if you expect your friend to use it."

"It's fine." Jack argues, but Vlad just raises his eyebrow at Jack.

"Fine, fine. I'll go wash the stupid thing." Jack goes back into their bedroom and putters around for a bit before coming back out with a few more things.

Before Danny can figure out what he grabbed, Jack makes his way over to the door and tells Danny to follow him.

"Close the door behind you, please." While the words themselves are polite, the tone Vlad uses is less than polite.

Danny bites his tongue and nods, following Jack out of the dorm room and closing the door as quietly as possible.

Jack jerks his head to the side, motioning for Danny to follow him, "Sorry 'bout Vladdie, he can be a bit antisocial sometimes. He doesn't really trust people."

Danny holds back his foul comments, "He's not that bad. I've met worse."

Jack shrugs and leads Danny into a room at the end of the hallway.

"I figured since you said you've been homeless for a few days you'd like to have a shower while I go wash this blanket."

Danny peeks inside the room to find a community shower. Jazz's dorm had its own shower built in but she got one of the nicer buildings. Tucker was stuck in an older dorm and he had a public shower a lot like this one.

"Thanks," Danny mumbles, embarrassed.

Jack hands him a towel and a small bag of shower necessities before turning and walking down the hall, "I'll be back in a bit, you do what you need to do."

He turns a corner and very suddenly, Danny finds himself alone. Danny walks inside the showers and sets the stuff he'd been handed on one of the counters. He easily pulls off his hoodie and wishes he had a change of clothing. While his clothes don't smell that bad, he's been wearing them for three days straight.

But clothing - and everything else needed to live your life - requires money and Danny is broke. Was broke before he got thrown through time.

He's grateful that he doesn't really have any modesty as he strips and sets all of his clothes on the counter next to his towel and sets his shoes just below the counter. With a wince, he wrestles the ponytail in his hair free. He probably should have taken it out before now, but hindsight was 20/20, right?

Danny grabs the basics he'll need for the shower and sets about getting himself as clean as possible. He sets the water as hot as he can handle it, which is roughly sixty degrees, and lets his mind wander as he cleans himself.

His father - Jack - hasn't changed that much since his college days. Vlad, on the other hand, has changed drastically. Despite how sarcastic and upset Vlad had been, Danny had been able to detect genuine affection from Vlad. It was unnerving, really, watching someone who Danny knows as bitter and spiteful be even remotely friendly towards someone.

'How could things have gone so wrong?' Danny wonders to himself.

Of course he knows the answer. The accident with the proto-portal. It had caused a bigger rift between his parents and Vlad than Danny had ever thought.

Just like that, Danny knows he has to stop the accident from happening. Stop Vlad from turning into an old, lonely cliché villain. Prevent Vlad from losing everything he has.

Danny leans back into the spray of water one last time before turning off the shower. He walks back over to the counter and grabs 'his' towel. He dries off his body before drying his hair as well as he can. Long hair never dries instantly, even if it does look good.

Danny grabs his clothes and starts redressing. He's barely got his pants buttoned when the door opens and Jack peeks inside.

"You're done already?" He asks.

Danny shrugs, "Yeah."

He slips his tee on but foregoes his hoodie, simply grabbing it and everything else before heading towards the door and down the hallway with Jack.

"I was gonna offer to let you borrow some of my clothes, but I don't think any of them would fit you. And you're a lot bigger than I thought you were so none of Vlad's clothes would probably fit you."

Danny tilts his head to the side, "What do you mean? Bigger?"

"That sweater of yours doesn't exactly show off your muscles," Jack teases as he opens the door to his dorm.

Danny follows Jack inside and notices that the 'living room' part of the dorm is empty. Vlad is probably in the 'bedroom'. He's cleared everything off of the couch and tiny table, though, so Danny figures he can't be too upset about Danny staying here.

"Vlad probably holed himself up in our room. I told you he was anti-social."

Danny thinks it's not 'anti-social,' but he also doesn't know Vlad all that well. At least, not this Vlad.

Danny sets his shoes by the door and hands the bag of shower necessities back to Jack.

"Think I could bum a brush off of you?"

Jack nods and disappears into his bedroom. Danny can faintly hear voices talking, but he tunes it out, trying not to pry into affairs that aren't his. He sits on the couch and dries his hair off a little bit more with the towel that's sitting around his shoulders.

When Jack comes back out, he hands Danny a brush. Danny tries to brush out the mess that is currently his hair. It's painful and he almost says 'fuck it' twice. Eventually he gets it all brushed out and neat again.

Truth be had, he does feel a lot better now that he's clean again.

He still wishes he had a change of clothes. Or at least clean ones.

"So," Jack sits on the couch next to Danny, "We have an hour 'til that blanket needs to be switched around. Tell me more about yourself."

Danny fidgets a bit.

"What do you want to know?"

Jack shrugs, "I don't know. Just tell me about yourself."

Danny chews his lower lip a bit before shrugging, "There's not much to me. I went to school, did my chores, and hung out with my friends. Most of the time we hung out at Sam's house. Sometimes we'd head to the mall, sometimes we'd just hang out in the park."

"Sam is?"

"Sam...was one of my best friends. The other was Tucker. I had a few other acquaintances, but most of them bullied me in high school so it's not like we're friends."

"You made peace with your bullies?"

Danny laughs a bit awkwardly, "More like I got big enough to fight back so they decided to make peace before I got revenge. Which I never would have. Pranks, definitely, but actual revenge? Not really my thing."

Jack laughs, "Well, if they were mean, I hope you got them back good. As long as no one got hurt."

Danny shakes his head, "No one got hurt. Well, I did once when my plan backfired."

"You're a bigger man than I am, Danny." Jack admits, "I could never forgive bullies."

Danny raises an eyebrow, "You got bullied?" His father never mentioned anything like that.

"No, but Vlad used to get picked on a lot. When he first moved to Amity Park in middle school he got picked on a lot. He was so small. I had to stop people from hurting him."

"He's lucky to have a friend like you." The words taste rancid in Danny's mouth. He knows what could happen. What he doesn't want to happen.

"I always thought I was the lucky one." Jack leans back on the couch, "Vlad's always taking care of me. Making sure I do what I'm supposed to be doing. He's actually the one who convinced me to go to college."

Danny stares in shock for a bit, "Really?"

"Yeah. I was just going to get a minimum wage job and coast through life. He thought I could do better."

"Sounds more like he's your parent," Danny jokes and thinks of his sister, "Maybe an overbearing sibling."

Jack laughs, "Yeah, I guess Vladdie is like a brother. Do...you have any siblings?"

"I had an older sister. Jazz. Short for Jasmine. I think she was named after my great aunt."

"I'm sorry." Jack hangs his head, "I keep bringing up bad subjects."

"Don't worry about it. It's nice to be able to talk about it...even if it hurts."

There's a bit of silence before Jack excuses himself to check on the blanket for Danny. Danny knows there is no way it's gone through an entire cycle but he doesn't mention it. Jack probably just wants to get away from the awkward situation.

When Jack is gone, Danny pulls out his phone. It has an indefinite battery life since he'd rigged it to run off of his ghost energy. It's a bit scratched up, but it's been like that for a while.

He opens up his photo gallery and opens up the first photo. It's the selfie he'd taken with Sam and Tucker back when he'd first gotten his phone. They had to have been about nineteen at the time. They all look a little pudge faced but not all that different.

The next picture is of his parents. They had no idea he'd taken the picture. His dad was covered in Ectoplasm because one of his inventions had backfired. His mom was laughing so hard she needed the counter to hold herself up.

He moves to the next picture. Jazz is looking directly into the camera and glaring. She always hated pictures being taken of her. But she looked really nice in the picture so she'd let him keep it.

He doesn't know how long he spends looking through the photos on his phone - and he's so grateful he never took the time to delete the pictures he'd taken - but eventually the sound of a door opening snaps Danny out of his little reprieve. He looks up and slides his phone into his pocket without looking.

Vlad walks out of the other room and looks at Danny.

"Where's Jack?"

Danny shrugs, "He said something about checking on that blanket."

Vlad sighs and mutters something under his breath that Danny doesn't catch. He moves over to the small desk and rummages around for a bit. He grabs a book from a small pile before he turns around and disappears back into his room.

Danny sighs and curls up on the couch.

When Jack comes back - over an hour and a half later - with the blanket, he yawns and tells Danny that he has plans for tomorrow and that he should go to bed. Danny wishes him a good night before finding himself alone once again.


	7. Chapter 7

Danny lays on the couch in the dark. It's pitch black in the 'living room' of Jack and Vlad's dorm. It would be dead silent, too, if Jack weren't asleep and snoring up a storm.

Jack and Vlad had gone to bed hours ago. Danny had laid down not long after that and tried to fall asleep but…he just couldn't shut off his brain. He's spent his time in the dark trying to figure out how to prevent the accident from happening.

How to stop everything from going wrong like it had in his timeline.

He's spent quite some time trying to think about how to do it. He's narrowed it down to two options.

His first option would be to sabotage the proto-portal. However, that would also prevent his parents from getting their doctorate and moving on to become inventors. He would end up stopping them from achieving their dreams.

His other option – the option he really doesn't want to go through with – would be to warn them all about not using the proto-portal. He could 'learn' about the portal and warn them to be more careful. Make sure they don't dive in overeager and ruin everything they have going. Or sneak in and install a failsafe in the proto-portal to stop it from misfiring. Stop Jack from testing it before it's ready. But if he messes up and ruins the portal, they could still lose their shot at their doctorate.

He rolls over so he's facing the couch instead of the ceiling.

It's stiff and uncomfortable and he has a hard time getting comfortable. But it's better than the ground or a metal bench like the last three nights.

Danny doesn't know how he got lucky enough to find someone to take him in. He doesn't know why it had to be his not-father. It was intensely ironic.

Did Clockwork have something to do with this turn of events? But why would he help Danny now? The last he saw of Clockwork, the Time Keeper has been in pain and…quite rattled by the split.

Aside from that, Danny's a paradox now and Clockwork's job is to eradicate anomalies. Is he special? Is Clockwork delirious with pain?

Would Clockwork change his mind? Would he eradicate Danny like he'd eradicated Dan?

Fear coils through Danny's gut. He knows Clockwork is infallible and incredibly powerful. If Clockwork were to decide Danny was a nuisance…well, Danny wouldn't stand a chance.

Danny feels so unsure of the future. Or if he even has one. He's never felt so unsure of everything. Before the accident at the GiW headquarters he'd know exactly what he wanted to do. And now…now he had no idea what he is going to do with himself.

There are the obvious things. Get a job. Make some money. Get a place for himself.

Once he no longer has to mooch off of two strangers – who are college students – he can figure everything else out. But he needs money to do that. And he needs a job to get money.

His mind so helpfully offers up prostitution.

Danny shakes his head as he turns again so this time he's facing away from the back of the couch. While he enjoys sex, he doesn't think he could charge people money for it.

He pulls the thick comforter around himself tighter. Despite being mostly covered…he still feels exposed. It's a childish though…but….he can't help it. He'd in a foreign place with strangers in the next room. He doesn't feel safe, despite knowing his father is a good man who would never hurt anyone.

Danny sighs heavily and shuffles a bit on the couch. He stretches his legs out so they hang off the edge of the couch. He wonders what he could do to earn money for himself. He's a decent mechanic but he has no degrees – at least in this universe – that he can provide as proof.

He has no I.D. No birth certificate. No high school diploma or college degrees. Not even a G.E.D.

Because he doesn't belong here.

This isn't his world. This isn't his time.

He doesn't belong here.

Tears gather in Danny's eyes. He takes a deep breath and tries to stop himself from crying. He tells himself that he's being silly. That he should have gotten all of this out of his system by now.

Except he hasn't.

It's only been three days.

He doesn't know if he'll ever get over this.

Danny thinks of Jazz and his parents. How they must be freaking out because he never came home. Jazz had been visiting when he'd disappeared. He hopes to god that they're not fighting or blaming each other.

Which leads him to think of Sam and Tucker. He hadn't talked to them in over a week. Sam had been out of town on a trip with her parents. Tucker was out of state and attending summer classes at ITT. Had someone contacted them? Do they know he's gone and never coming back?

Danielle and Valerie had been in town that week and he'd promised to hang out with them some time. Would they notice he's gone? Would they even care? Would they mourn?

Would any of the ghosts he'd made peace with care or miss him? Skulker. Ember. Johnny and Kitty. Would any of them care? Or would they just wreak havoc?

It would be so much easier to think about if everyone he knew was dead. No. They're all alive and well and – hopefully – missing him and Danny just can't see them. He's trapped in a world that isn't his with no one he knows and no one to help him.

A choked noise makes its way out of Danny's throat and he covers his mouth with the blanket. The tears welling in his eyes fall down his face. The cold pulsing from his core freezes his tears before they can fall far.

He can't stop himself from crying and keep the cold from pushing out of his core at the same time. He could let himself cry and keep the cold in, hoping the sound of Jack's heavy snoring drowns it out a bit. Or he can keep back his sobs and freeze half the building, killing any human caught in the radius including Jack and Vlad.

He can't risk hurting anyone – it's not in him to do so – so really his only option is to cry like a baby and hold his core together. He clenches his eyes shut and tries to focus on keeping his core under control.

It's a lot like trying to keep your heartbeat normal while crying.

He curls up into a ball as a sob rips its way through his throat. Images of his family flash in front of his mind's eye. Are they okay? Have they even noticed he's gone? Do they care?

A dark voice in the back of his mind tells him that they noticed and are happy to finally be rid of him. Of course they'd be happy. He's not there to attract ghosts. He's not there to enforce his stupid morality on everyone. His parents finally have their house to themselves. Jazz doesn't have to listen to him worrying over his place in the world. Sam doesn't have to follow him around and hunt ghosts.

Danny hears movement in the room behind him. Jack's snoring doesn't stop and other than that it all goes silent. Danny realizes Vlad probably moved in his sleep. Or he's awake and can hear Danny breaking down.

Either way, no one comes into the living room to confront him so Danny considers that a victory.

After – what feels like – hours, Danny calms enough that the tears stop. He reluctantly stops holding in his core, like a child clings to their favorite stuffed animal. The temperature of the room has probably dropped a few degrees since he'd started crying, but there isnt anything he can do about that. He registers the temperature change but he doesn't feel it like others do. Hasn't since his ice powers manifested.

Danny rubs his eyes dry and rolls to face the cough again with his legs pulled up to his chest. He wraps his arms around his torso and closes his eyes.

Danny wonders if he's going to sleep at all tonight.


	8. Chapter 8

Danny startles out of a light sleep when a hand lands on his shoulder. Danny tenses and sits up, hand curled up into a fist around the blanket. Danny looks up to see Jack standing over him.

The part of his brain that is clinging to sleep panics and wonders if he slept through his alarm clock.

His mind quickly catches up and reminds him that he in, in fact, not home. He doesn't have an alarm clock because he's in 1982. This isn't his father, upset that he's missing his classes.

"What's up?" Danny groans. He sits up and rubs at his eyes, trying to wake up enough to engage in conversation.

"Vlad and I are going to hang out with some of our friends."

Danny sits there for a moment before raising and eyebrow at Jack, "Okay?"

"Oh right. You can either come with us or go out and do whatever you want, but Vlad doesn't feel comfortable leaving you alone." Danny can almost _hear_ the implied 'with all of my stuff' tacked at the end.

Vlad makes a quiet but rude noise in his throat from his seat at his desk. Jack doesn't seem to hear it, but Danny hears him perfectly fine.

The rude noise was unnecessary, but Danny can understand that. He is a stranger, after all.

"Uh, sure, I guess. I'm cool with whatever." Danny mutters and scrubs his hands over his face.

"Great! You'll get along great with our friends!" Jack grabs his keys from the table and his jacket from the back of the chair at his desk.

Danny stares at him dumbly for a second before realizing that Jack want to go _now._

Danny groans and pushes himself up. He yawns and folds the blanket he'd been using before putting it and the pillow in a neat stack.

"Where's the bathroom?"

"One door closer than the showers." Jack tells him. Danny groans but leaves the dorm room. He easily finds the bathroom and relieves himself.

After he's done and returns to the room he barely has enough time to put his shoes on and grab his hoodie before Jack is dragging him back out of the dorm and into the hallway with an arm around Danny's neck.

Vlad follows them out of the apartment and calls out, "Jack, slow down."

Jack jerks to a stop and Danny takes the moment to free himself from Jack's grip. He rolls his head in a circle before doing the same to his shoulders.

"You walk too slow, V-Man. Use those long legs of yours!" Jack teases.

Vlad walks towards them as a leisurely pace and pockets his keys. Vlad is glaring at Jack but there is a small smile on his lips.

It's weird seeing Vlad being playful and teasing. It's weird but…also nice. He understands a little more how his parents could consider Vlad – _this_ Vlad – their best friend.

Vlad catches up to them and the three of them start walking together with Jack in the lead.

"So where are we going, exactly?" Danny asks, slipping his hoodie on over his head.

"Oh, just to see some of our friends! I think you'll like them." Jack offers.

"That's so informative, Jack. Thank you." Danny mutters, voice dripping with sarcasm.

Vlad snorts beside him and presses his lips together to hide a smile.

"So can _you_ tell me about who we're going to see?" Danny asks Vlad as he sticks his hands into his hoodie's front pocket.

Vlad glances at Danny before looking ahead at Jack, "They're nice. Rather loud, if you ask me. They like to go out a lot."

Danny hums, "I take it you prefer to stay in?"

"Most of the time."

There's just silence after that. Really, _really_ awkward silence. Danny doesn't really want to break it so he keeps quiet. Once they're out of the dorm building Jack and Vlad stay in, Jack leads them off in a seemingly random direction.

"Jack said you were from Amity Park." Danny looks at Vlad who is staring ahead.

"Yeah. Born and raised."

"I've never seen you around before."

Danny shrugs, "I've never met like…half the town…so I'm not surprised."

More awkward silence and Danny is about ready to scream.

"What about you?" Danny asks.

"I moved there when I was a teenager." He looks uncomfortable and Danny is convinced that this is going to be normal when he's around.

Just ahead of them, Jack seems completely oblivious to the awkwardness between Danny and Vlad. Danny can see why it's awkward for Vlad. Danny is a new person who Vlad knows nothing about. But for Danny…

It's so awkward because Vlad is…not Vlad. He is obviously Vlad Masters but not the Vlad Masters that Danny _knows_. Everything he does – the way he talks, the ways he walks, everything – is different. So different. And yet, everything is so similar. Like his voice, while not quite as deep and 'charming,' was still the same voice. His face is the same if not a bit younger and clean shaven. Even if that face doesn't make the same expressions that Danny is used to.

The most jarring difference, though, is the way Vlad _acts_.

Vlad, from his time, walked with confidence. When he walked into a room, he owned it. He demanded attention and respect. He'd stand tall, using his height to its full advantage. He would tower over just about anyone and could easily intimidate people without doing much of anything.

This Vlad walks like he hopes no one will see him. Like he wants to disappear permanently. He walks like someone not used to their own body, like he's not comfortable in his own body. He slouches when he stands and while he's not as tall as he is when he's older, he still towers over a lot of people – including Danny. But Danny doesn't think this Vlad could intimidate a mouse.

It's unnerving just how different Vlad is. And Danny doesn't even know this Vlad's real personality. Was the change to the Vlad Danny knows a natural change? Or was it a conscious decision to change?

He feels like he's had this circle of thought before. He tries to get out of his head and realizes Vlad and Jack are talking – he hadn't noticed Vlad move up to walk by Jack's side – in hushed voices. Danny tries not to listen.

Vlad says something and Jack starts laughing out loud before replying to Vlad. Vlad just smiles and Danny feels his resolve to stop the accident grow. He is going to stop the accident, even if it kills him. Even if it means his parents don't complete their ghost portal.

Even if it means he's going to spend eternity alone.

That thought is like a slap in the face.

Eternity. Alone. As the only Halfa in existence. As an ageless freak. How long could he really last…knowing he's the only one of his kind? When he'd found out about his functional immortality – that he'd live forever…short of someone murdering him – he at least knew that he wasn't alone. Vlad had been the same and despite the hate and animosity…he wouldn't be _alone_. But now…

He realizes that not only is he the only one of his kind…he's the only one who knows. The only person who knows what he is. There is no one he can talk to here. No human that he could talk to about all of this.

Danny feels a weight settle on his chest. The feeling persists even after Danny looks up and sees that they're in front of a new building. Jack leads them all inside and up a few flights of stairs.

Danny doesn't really pay attention until Jack stops in front of a door and knocks.

The hallway isn't that different than the one outside Jack and Vlad's dorm. Boring. Plain.

The door opens to reveal Harriet, "About time you guys got here!"

She playfully glares before she opens the door and lets them inside. Jack pushes Danny in first before following him with Vlad close behind.

"Jack really did adopt you, huh?" Harry laughs, closing the door behind Vlad and making her way back over to the assorted collection of chairs and sofas in the room.

"Yeah, kind of." He laughs nervously as he look around.

The dorm is just one large room. It looks like it was supposed to be a double, but there's only one bed pushed up against the far corner. The entire room is cluttered and Danny can tell no one bothered to clean up. There are clothes everywhere and empty take out boxes line the shelves. It's nothing like Jack and Vlad's dorm.

"Who is this?" A man Danny doesn't recognize asks from where he's sitting, sprawled out on the bed against the left wall. One foot is propped up on a pile of pillows and the other is settled on the table between the bed and the couch.

Danny thinks the bed is supposed to serve as a seating arrangement along with the couch and the other two chairs on either end.

"I'm Danny." He smiles, "And you are?"

"This is Dean." Jenny adds from where she is sitting in a seat furthest from the door between the couch and sofa, "In case you hadn't noticed, he's kind of a slob."

"I resent that. Just because it's not your kind of organized doesn't mean it's not organized." Dean glares as he sits up straight.

"It's messy." Maddie deadpans, "Incredibly messy."

Danny laughs and shrugs, "Eh, I've seen worse."

"That's hard to imagine." Jenny laughs with him.

"My friend Tucker couldn't keep his room clean for anything," Danny tries to not think about Tucker or Sam.

Dean looks to be a bit taller than Danny but also a lot leaner. He looks like he could be a swimmer if Danny had to guess a sport for then man. He has black hair that's slicked back and that, coupled with his sun tanned skin, makes his green eyes stand out more.

He wasn't at the reunion. Or maybe he was and Danny had been too preoccupied to notice or care. He _was_ fourteen at the time.

"Oh," Maddie's voice breaks Danny out of his own thoughts, "You never really got properly introduced to Jenny. Danny, this is Jenny. She's my dorm mate."

Jenny waves, "It's Jennifer but Jenny kind of stuck."

"Nice to meet you Jennifer," Danny says with a small wave of his hand.

"Whoa, whoa, am I the last one to meet this guy?" Dean asks, looking miffed, "What the heck, where was I?"

Jack shrugs, "Probably passed out?"

Harriet laughs, "I don't know why you're so upset, anyway, you're always late to everything."

Good to know.

Danny sits down in the armchair between the bed and the sofa across from Harriet. He sees Maddie say something to Jack and Vlad that he didn't catch and all three of them move to the only couch available, across from the bed Dean is lounging on. Vlad ends up sitting on the arm of the couch with Maddie between him and Jack.

Jenny sits down on the edge of the bed and looks towards Danny, "Danny, why don't you tell us about yourself!"

Danny ends up laughing, "Jeez, I've heard that more in the last forty eight hours than I have in my entire life!"

"Oh…Sorry."

"No! That's not what I meant!" Danny sticks his hands between his thighs, "I'm just…surprised you're all interested in me."

"Why is that so shocking?" Dean asks, leaning back.

"Cause I've only ever had two people care about me outside my family? Unless I count Valerie, then it's three."

"Well, if it makes you feel better, I'm not that interested in you," Dean teases, earning a small, almost inaudible snicker from Vlad.

"That makes me feel _so_ much better, thank you," Danny says in an overly dramatic voice with a hand over his heart.

That earns a laugh and a smile from Dean, "Yeah, okay, I like him."

Jenny snorts, "Well, if _Dean_ approves Danny must be a _great_ guy!"

"I have amazing taste in people!"

Jenny turns to look at Dean with an unimpressed look, "Darien? AJ?"

Dean scowls as his face turns red, "You're never going to let that go, huh?"

Danny watches Jenny tease Dean about his bad judgement of character. He doesn't understand half of the references she makes and….to be honest he finds he doesn't really care. He feels like an outsider. Like he doesn't belong…not just in this group but in this time.

The halfa looks over at Jack to find he's talking with Maddie about something in a hushed voice. Knowing them, it's more than likely about ghosts. Or their portal. Or….something else equally focused.

He looks over to Vlad, who is watching Danny's not-parents. It doesn't take long for him to feel Danny's gaze and he turns to look at Danny.

"Do they do this often?" Danny vaguely motions towards Jenny and Dean, who are nudging each other while laughing.

Vlad shrugs and crosses his arms, "Sometimes."

He looks uncomfortable again. Danny feels guilty about it, but brushes it off.

Danny feels so conflicted. He hates Vlad. The old Vlad. The Vlad from his time. He'd done so much to hurt Danny and his friends and his family…and all of Amity Park.

But this Vlad…this Vlad seems so different. Danny wants to get to know him. Wants to learn about him. Learn about the Vlad from before the accident.

But Vlad gets so uncomfortable every time Danny so much as opens his mouth. Like a giant, gangly rabbit.

Dean's voice draws Danny's attention back over to him when he asks, "So Danny, what brings you to frigid Wisconsin? You're obviously not from around here and I haven't seen you around campus."

Now it's Danny's turn to feel uncomfortable, "Uh, an accident, actually."

It's the truth. A very vague version of the truth, but the truth none the less. He can't exactly tell them a time machine made a whole new reality and he's trapped here with nothing but an invalid ID and debit card to his name.

"Like a car accident or?" Dean trails off, looking at him.

"Dean! He obviously doesn't want to talk about it!" Jenny swats his arm.

"It was just a question! He doesn't have to answer it if he doesn't want to." Dean defends himself.

"I'd….really prefer to not talk about it," Danny picks at his cuticles, "It's all really close right now."

He'd have to talk to someone about it eventually. But what would he tell them? A fire? An explosion? Mass murderer? None of them were even close to the truth. Well….the explosion was, but…

"See what you've done?" Harriet gives Dean a stern glare.

"No, really, it's fine," Danny interjects, "At least he knows how to back off and not press the issue."

It's a lie. Just thinking about it…it makes Danny feel like there's a giant hole in his chest. He's felt like that – to a lesser degree – since he found out he was trapped and alone.

What's worse….Sam and Tucker – even Jazz or Valerie – would have been able to tell he was lying just by his word choice alone. But everyone here accepts his words at face value and move on to other conversations.

Maddie, Jenny, and Harriet go on to talk about some test they took. Dean and Jack talk about what they could get for lunch. But Danny and Vlad both remain silent, watching the group interact and content to be observers.

Danny kind of wants to excuse himself but he doesn't have a good excuse. He'd already peed and he doesn't smoke. He never really liked the _'I need some air'_ excuse.

So Danny settles for watching the group. In particular, he watches Vlad. He doesn't seem to notice that Danny is staring and he seems much more relaxed as he watches his friends interact.

Could Vlad be in an introvert? That would explain so much of Vlad's personality now but it goes against everything Danny knows about the Vlad from his time.

Sure, he lives in a secluded mansion but he was constantly in the public's eye. Everything he did, he did larger than life. He was always looking at the press, posing and preening and –

Just so not like this Vlad who wants to sit on the sideline and watch.

Before Danny knows what's happened, he's been sitting in Dean's dorm watching this group of friends joke and kid for hours. He doesn't really say much about himself but he learns a lot about the others.

Jenny is working towards a psychology major. She's a full time student and she juggles part time shifts at the Diner. She's also Maddie's roommate.

Harriet is a Journalism major with a creative writing minor. She's an intern at the local news station. She lives at home with her parents here in Wisconsin.

Dean doesn't have a major. Or if he does, he's lying about trying to figure one out. He's also in a band and he plays the guitar, electric and acoustic. His roommate – Justin – dropped out after the third week and the school never got around to giving Dean a new roommate which is why the group usually comes over here to hang out, despite the cluttered mess everywhere.

Around five they'd ordered pizza and there was a debate over what to get on it. Pepperoni and cheese won out, despite Dean and Harriet's protests.

A little while after it gets dark, Harriet looks over to Jack and asks, "Didn't you three have plans tonight?"

Danny looks over at them just in time to see Vlad make a pinched face.

"Uhh…we decided to cancel our plans," Jack shrugs, looking nervous, "Vlad didn't wanna leave Danny alone in our dorm all night."

 _Vlad didn't trust him to not steal something._

Danny figures that's fair, since they just met yesterday.

"I can find somewhere else to stay. I don't wanna mess up any plans you guys had."

Jack frowns, "Danny, where would you go? We're the only people you know in town, right? We can't just kick you out because we want to go off and investigate some stuff."

"Well…he could come with us…" Maddie suggests hesitantly and Vlad makes another face.

"Nah, I don't wanna intrude." Danny shoots down the idea.

Jack frowns, looking torn.

"Look, it's fine. You guys go do whatever you wanted to do. I can find a place to crash." Danny says, intending to go find a nice tree to sleep in. Or maybe he'd just change and go invisible and catnap somewhere.

He's not expecting Dean to offer, "Danny can crash here tonight. It's not an issue."

Danny looks at him a little shocked. Danny hadn't said much all night so it's not like Danny and Dean had gotten to know each other or anything.

"Are you serious?" Danny asks, "I mean -"

"Yeah, man, it's all cool. I got a couch you can crash on," Dean offers, "That way Jack and Vlad don't have to worry about you and you have a place to sleep."

Danny wants to decline but Jack is already standing up and chirping, "Thanks, man! I guess we'll see you later!"

Before Danny can say anything, Jack is out the door. Maddie and Vlad both sigh and share an exasperated look before standing up.

"See you guys later," Maddie says, retreating after Jack.

Vlad doesn't say anything but he waves as he leaves.

"I should get going, too." Harriet stands up and looks at Jenny, "Need a ride?"

"Yeah, thanks."

And just like that, they leave, too, and Danny and Dean are left alone.

"You don't really have to let me crash here, man."

"It's no problem, Danny. You're cool. Jack obviously has no problem with you."

"Vlad does, though." Danny argues, mentally kicking his own butt and telling himself to not look a gift horse in the mouth.

"Trust me, dude, Vlad has an issue with anyone who isn't Jack or Maddie."

"Well, I guess that's a little comforting."

Dean yawns, laying down on the bed with his hands behind his head, "Yeah, I guess. I've knows the guy for a year and a half and I barely know him. Have no idea how Jack got him to open up."

Danny moves over to the couch and awkwardly kicks off his shoes before laying down.

Dean looks over to Danny, "We can hang out while Jack and Vlad sleep all day tomorrow, yeah?"

Danny nods, "Yeah, sure, that sounds fun."

Before Danny can say anything else, Dean is snoring and Danny has only ever seen Tucker fall asleep so fast. Especially since he _just_ had company.

Danny sighs before rolling over and deciding to try and get some sleep.


	9. Chapter 9

Danny wakes up to the feeling of his phone vibrating in his pocket. When it stops, he figures it's just reminding him of something or other. Then it vibrates again and Danny digs into his pocket.

He hits the button to make his phone shut up and blearily opens his eyes. There isn't a window in Dean's dorm room so Danny has to look around for a clock of some kind. The little red numbers on the nearby nightstand read 9:27.

Groaning, Danny lays down and closes his eyes again.

His phone vibrates again and Danny pulls it out to look at it. There are three unread texts from a number he doesn't recognize. While he finds that a little weird – because no one _ever_ texts him aside from Sam, Tucker, and Jazz and they're all…well – he's more focused on the fact that he _got a text at all._

He's in the 80's. There is no way he should be getting a text. Of any kind. Hell, he shouldn't even be getting a phone call. He probably doesn't have a registered number or a connection to the phone lines.

Danny unlocks his phone and goes to his texts.

 _I've made a few arrangements. –Unknown Number_

 _You'll be able to use your phone as you did in your time. –Unknown Number_

 _Though you won't be able to use the internet or Wi-Fi, so most of your 'games' are useless now. It is essentially a mobile landline. –Unknown Number_

Danny blinks at his phone before sending back a reply.

 _Clockwork? –Danny_

Only a few seconds pass before his phone buzzes again.

 _Yes, Daniel. I thought I should let you know that you have a way to communicate with me should you feel the need. Or if you need help. –Unknown Number_

Danny smiles and shakes his head. He adds Clockwork's number to his phone and thinks about what to say. He mulls it over for a while before he starts texting him.

 _Are you feeling better? –Danny_

 _Marginally. The headaches have passed and my domain is more stable now, though there are still a few problems. –Clockwork_

Danny rolls over onto his back. He looks over to Dean, who is happily snoring away, and frowns.

 _You see everything, right? –Danny_

 _Yes. –Clockwork_

 _Was Dean at the reunion party? –Danny_

There's a bit of silence before Clockwork texts him back.

 _No. He and Vladimir had a falling out a few weeks before the accident. –Clockwork_

 _So they WERE friends –Danny_

 _Somewhat. Though, not to the degree he was friends with Jack and Madeline. –Clockwork_

Danny cards one hand through his hair before sighing.

 _What do you think I should do? I mean…if I can't go back. Home, that is. –Danny_

Dean grunts and snorts before rolling over and quieting down.

 _I cannot help you make a decision. Daniel, to be honest with you, the future of that universe fluctuates so often that I cannot say what will happen in five minutes let alone five years. I cannot tell you the rewards or consequences of your actions. –Clockwork_

Danny presses his lips into a thin line and resists the urge to scream and say 'some help you are' to Clockwork. After all, he's the one who got him into this mess. The one who stranded him here and named him a….

Danny picks his phone back up and starts typing.

 _Why haven't you erased me? And this whole timeline? –Danny_

 _I'm just a paradox now, aren't I? –Danny_

 _That is a long and complicated story, Daniel. Perhaps it is one best left for when you are in a better mental state. –Clockwork_

 _That is such a cop-out. –Danny_

He puts down his phone and sighs, looking at the foreign ceiling and trying to resist the urge to scream again. His phone vibrates with another text and Danny looks at his phone.

 _I will tell you this: you mean a lot to me. To erase you from existence would bring me great pain and sorrow. –Clockwork_

Danny lets his head fall back against the arm of the couch before he sits up and leans against the couch's corner. It makes no sense to him that Clockwork would care for him. They talk often, sure, and Danny helps him out from time to time but not enough to warrant that kind of attachment.

 _There's something you're not telling me. But I'll let it go for now. –Danny_

Danny wishes he had something to do right now. After all, he can't just leave Dean's dorm without saying anything. He can't play his games. He can't listen to music – seeing as most of his music doesn't comes out for another twenty years at least – even if he had his headphones, which he doesn't. He very suddenly realizes he probably shouldn't ever use his earbuds, considering it would lead to questions since it would be connected to his phone.

And he really doesn't want to draw attention to that.

 _So…you aren't going to erase me? – Danny_

 _I have no plans to do so, no. That might change if you decide to cause mayhem. – Clockwork_

Danny clenches his teeth together, remembering that…terrible future. He pushes the thought of red eyes and white hot hair out of his mind.

 _I'm not going to end up like that. Not ever. – Danny_

Clockwork doesn't text back and Danny lays there, going through lists of possible jobs he could get. Under-the-table type jobs. He could probably make up some sob story down at the Hall of Records to get a new birth certificate. Or do it down at the DMV to get an ID. Maybe even a driver's license.

It…probably won't work.

Dean grunts and sits up around ten. His black hair is wild and…looks like it could use a wash, honestly.

"Morning," Danny greets from his spot where he's sitting on the couch, casually sliding his phone in his jacket.

Dean grunts before looking over at Danny, "How long you been 'wake?"

"Mmm, not that long."

Dean groans as he stretches his arms out in front of him, only stopping when both shoulders pop, "Wha' time 's it?"

Danny glances at the clock, "A little after ten."

Dean nods dumbly before getting up and puttering around the room, doing the sniff-test on different pieces of clothing until he finds something suitable to wear.

Danny ignores Dean as the other man moves about and Danny lets his thoughts drift back to getting some sort of life on track. There had to be ways to get a fake Birth Certificate. Or ID. Something to help him get a steady job.

"You gonna head back to your place and get changed? As much as I believe in reusing clothes, you slept in those," Dean says.

Danny lets out a nervous laugh before he says, "I…don't really have any clothes to change into. I only have what I'm wearing."

"Seriously?" Dean hesitates before asking, "That accident you mentioned?"

"Yeah. I…lost everything I had."

Dean frowns and turns around, opening up his closet to root through it, "You know what, man. I got this box of stuff my ex…uh, friend left behind. We don't talk anymore and he's a giant dick but he's around your size. You can have all his stuff. I've been meaning to give it to Goodwill but like…dude if you need it." Dean pulls out a weird looking khaki duffle bag and drops it on the bed, "You can have the bag, too. I'm not using it."

Danny stands up and starts going through the bag of clothes – mostly pants that look like bell bottoms, a few button up shirts, and weird tee's – and he knows it's going to be a _long_ time until he gets clothing he actually likes again.

"You mind if I try some of it on?" Danny asks, glancing over at Dean.

"Not at all, man," Dean crosses his arms and sits down on the edge of the bed, "You mind…telling me what happened? I'm just…what kind of accident leaves you with absolutely nothing?"

Danny sighs, pulling off his jacket and shirt before grabbing one of the smaller t-shirts and pulling it on. It's black with short white sleeves and a white neckline. Not as gaudy as some of the bold print in there. But yeah, it fits.

After that, he grabs a solid colored white button up and pulls it on. He leaves it unbuttoned, though and decides that he likes this particular combination of black tee and white button up. For now, at least.

"An explosion," Danny tells him, purposefully keeping it vague, "Pretty big one."

"I'm…I'm sorry, Danny. I shouldn't have asked."

Danny shakes his head, "It's fine," he stretches his arms above his head and tests out the shirts, glad that it's not too tight. It's actually a pretty good fit. He wouldn't buy it but if it's free, he'll take it.

Danny looks at Dean before turning back towards the bag and undoes his pants – his favorite pair of pants – and pushes them down, "So that ex friend of yours. Is he an ex-friend or is he an _ex-boyfriend_?"

He pulls on the pants. He has to shimmy a bit but the pants button. They fit, even if it feels a bit weird to have the waistband so high. At least the bottoms aren't as flared as he thought they'd be. He doesn't look like a _total_ dork in his opinion. And he'll probably look less weird to everyone else now.

"I'm not gonna tell anyone," Danny shrugs, turning to face Dean, "I just wanted to know. You seemed kind of…bitter when you mentioned them. Usually, people aren't that bitter when it's just a falling out with a friend. And it's _not_ a woman or you'd have said ex-girlfriend. And you probably wouldn't have offered me their clothes."

"You…you're okay with it?" Dean looks at Danny with wide eyes.

Danny shrugs again, "Yeah. I'm…well, gender doesn't really matter to me," after all, he's had to deal with more important things than gender like…killer ghosts and ghosts posing as humans and…so much other bull, "I like guys, girls, and everything in between."

The Halfa can almost _see_ Dean's relief as he sighs, "You really won't tell the others?"

"Not really my place to tell them, is it? Especially since you could do the exact same to me. Besides, you've been nothing but kind to me. You just gave me a bag full of clothes, man, I'm not gonna throw you under the bus."

Dean stands up and Danny is a bit surprised when Dean hugs him real tight and not in that lame bro-hug he used to see Kwan and Dash do all the time.

Dean pulls away and smiles at Danny, "Danny, you're alright with me. If you need something, don't be afraid to ask, yeah?"

"Of course. You, too, Dean."

Dean's alarm clock goes off and he looks at it before moving to click it off, "Shit, I almost lost track of time."

"You got somewhere to be?" Danny asks, grabbing the clothes he'd taken off to put them in the duffle before grabbing his socks and shoes.

"Yeah, I've got band practice," Dean rubs at the back of his head, "I didn't really think about it last night."

"It's cool. What instrument you play?" Danny slips on his socks and shoes.

"Base," Dean says, grabbing his jacket, "Do you play?"

"Yeah but I'm more of a guitar kind of guy."

"Electric or acoustic?"

"Bit of both," Danny says as he finishes tying his shoes, "Whatever suits what I wanna play better."

"You'll have to show me some time. I'd invite you to come with but I don't know if Michelle will be cool with it. She's got a mean streak a mile wide, man."

"Don't even stress. This isn't the only time we'll see each other. And you seem like a cool guy to hang out with." Danny grabs his new bag and follows Dean out of his dorm and watches him lock up before they head out of the building.

"You gonna be okay? I mean, Jack and Vlad usually sleep all day Sunday if they've been out all night Saturday. They might not be there to let you in."

"I'm sure I can find something to do," Danny shrugs, "Should probably find a job of some kind."

"I'll let you know if I hear anything," Dean smiles as they make their way across campus.

They're about to split up and head their own ways – though Danny isn't sure at that moment _exactly_ where he was going to go if Vlad and Jack are asleep – when Jenny comes around a corner. She's combing her hair back with her fingers and she has a hairband in her mouth.

The blonde notices both of them and she comes over, pulling the band out to her mouth to smirk and say, "Wow, miracle of miracles. Dean is up before noon. Does this mean you're going to be on time for your little band gig thing?"

Dean frowns and crosses his arms, "I'm not always late."

"Well you're never on time," Jenny slips the hairband into place and she looks at Danny, "This your doing?"

"Not really-"

"He was so rude!" Dean interrupts, using a theatrical voice, "Making _so_ much noise while I slept! I can't believe how terrible he was after I was _so gracious_!"

Jenny laughs at Dean's mocking tone as she grabs an apron from where it was stuck in her back pocket and ties it around her waist, "I'll make sure to remember that."

"Hey, why are you wearing your uniform? Don't you have today off?" Dean asks.

Jenny sighs, deep and tired, "Yeah, I was supposed to. But Martha and Katie _both_ quit yesterday. I don't know why but they just up and ditched out. Hal is so upset and he called me in. I would have slept through the call this morning if Maddie hadn't come back at like…eight thirty." Her voice drops so she's muttering, "Should have pretended to be asleep."

Dean throws an arm over Danny's shoulder and leans closer to Jenny, grinning like the cat who's caught the canary, "So what I'm hearing is…Hal's understaffed right now?"

"Yeah?" Jenny squints at Dean, "I know that look. What do you want?"

"Danny here could _really_ use a job. In fact, he just mentioned it earlier. He's nice, he's cute, and from what I hear he's pretty strong. Think you might be able to convince Hal to give our friend Danny here a job?"

Jenny presses her lips into a thin line and the small hope that had been building in Danny's chest deflates.

"Hal usually only hires girls. You know old guys. But you can come with me and we can try?" She smiles sadly, "If he agreed it would start you back in the right direction. You sure you wanna work in customer service? It's hell. The pay is terrible and the tips are worse."

"I have no self-worth and I'm desperate. Sounds like customer service is perfect for me!" Danny laughs.

Dean claps Danny on the back before he starts walking away, "Well, I've done my good deed for today! It's your turn, Jen!"

Jenny rolls her eyes and starts walking off towards the dinner, "Nice duds. Did Dean give them to you?"

"Yeah. Said some guy he's not really friends with anymore left them behind. And they're not his style so he just gave them to me." Danny follows behind her closer, keeping the duffle bag behind him so it doesn't hit her.

"Lucky day for you, isn't it?" Jenny smiles up at him and Danny nods.

"Yeah. So…uh, about this job…"

"Look, Hal's an older guy. He likes hiring girls to ogle them. But if I tell him your sob story, he'd probably hire you. He's kind of a pervert but he's got a heart of gold."

"That's…that's all well and good. But I meant…I don't have an ID." At least a valid one, "Or a birth certificate. And I can't get one without cash."

Jenny frowns, "You don't even have an ID?"

Danny smiles nervously, "It kind of…disappeared with everything else."

Jenny looks really guilty, "That kind of…hinders your chances, Danny."

"I know. No one wants to hire someone without knowing who they are." They turn the corner and head up to the diner. Danny grabs the door for Jenny before they both head inside.

Now that Danny isn't being dragged around, he takes a moment to actually _look_ at the Diner. He'd completely missed the outdoor eating area – which is currently fenced off – but that's because he'd been coming from the other side. The front part has a bar about half the length of the whole diner with individual stools lined up in front of it and menu's placed at every other seat. Danny can see the kitchen through the open serving window and there's no one there. The right side of the diner stretches all the way back. There's a hallway behind the kitchen that Danny can't see but he has to guess that's where the bathrooms are.

"There you are, Jennifer!" An older man, about fifty if Danny had to guess, comes from around the counter.

"I still have ten minutes until when I told you I'd come in, Hal. Stop stressing." Jenny puts her hands on her hips, "And since we have ten minutes, I was wondering if I could talk to you about something in private."

"Jennifer, there is one girl working the floor and I have to cook. I need you to watch the counter." He sighs.

The bar seats are empty. The booths that line the right wall are empty save for two groups and there's a cute waitress talking with the older couple. The couple's plates are nearly empty so he figures they're already done eating. The other group consists of three girls looking over the menu and talking in low tones.

"We'll be right out front. You can watch the bar from there." Jenny puts her hands together in front of her chest in a mock begging pose.

"Fine," he sighs, "Very well."

Jenny gives Danny a hopeful look and a thumbs up before he heads outside with Hal. They leave the door wide open – even though it's mostly glass and they would have been able to see him through it – and Danny sits at the bar as he eavesdrops.

"Look, Hal. I've been working here pretty steadily for two and a half years. I have no intention of leaving and I'd like to think we're…pretty close. My friend Danny over there, he recently lost his family and home. He's got nothing and he's crashing on my friend's couch. Since Martha and Katie both quit I was thinking maybe you could give Danny a job? Even if it's just part-time he really needs some money to get back on his feet."

"He can't get a job on his own?" Hal frowns.

"Well, I mean, he could if he wanted to, I guess. It's…it was a recent thing. It happened like…less than a week ago. He's got nothing. He's got the clothes on his back and that duffle-bag."

"What's the catch? You look more nervous than trying to get your friend a job."

The other waitress comes behind the bar and starts working the register, trying to input the old couple's payment. She's having a hard time with the drawer, though. She frowns and Danny guesses that if he weren't right there she'd have cursed under her breath as she fights the register.

"Well, see…during the accident, Danny lost _everything._ He lost his wallet or something 'cause he doesn't have an ID or a birth certificate."

"So you're asking me to take this chance?"

"Yes. Remember when I told you my friend almost got mugged and a passerby jumped in? Danny was that guy. He's really sweet and life just handed him the biggest f-…it handed him a really bad deal. He's trying to get back on his feet. I just thought I'd ask."

Danny ducks his head and smiles, glad that he got to meet Jenny and Dean. They're good people. He's so lucky to have met them.

The other waitress lets out a frustrated noise as Hal and Jenny comes back inside.

"Hal, when are you going to replace this piece of junk?!" She puts the cash on the counter and heads back over to the older couple.

Trying to impress Hal – and show off a bit – Danny turns towards the older man and says, "I could take a look at it for you. I'm pretty good with machines."

Hal looks a bit surprised but he makes a face that screams 'why not' before he motions towards the ancient looking thing.

Danny gets off the stool and moves around the counter. He opens up the top and looks inside. There's quite a bit of dust and he laughs.

"When was the last time someone cleaned this thing?"

Hal makes a noncommittal noise before Danny shrugs and starts checking out the ancient thing. It looks like it's from the forties.

"So Jenny tells me you're looking for a job."

Danny looks up at Hal for a moment before he nods and looks back at the machine, "Yeah. My house is…gone. I mean… _gone._ I'm crashing on a friends couch right now. It'd be nice to not be a burden and maybe pay them back for their kindness."

"Jenny also tells me you don't have anything to identify yourself with."

Danny pauses briefly before continuing, "Yeah, everything…everything kind of disappeared in the explosion." He figures he can spin a sob story. Even if it's cheating a little…he really needs a job to move out of Jack and Vlad's dorm, "My clothes, my school stuff, my…my family. I was out on my morning jog and I came back to…EMTs and…well, you get it."

The Halfa can see Hal shift uncomfortably, "Well, say I _do_ hire you. What are your skills? What are you looking to make?"

"Well, I'm good with numbers. Good with machines. I know how to smile and act like nothing's wrong when people are yelling at me. As for pay, minimum wage, I guess. Got to start somewhere."

There's a bit of silence before the money tray pops out of the cash register with a chime.

"Ta-da! That _should_ do it." Danny puts the register back together and backs away as Hal comes over. The older man closes the tray and inputs the bill before hitting the button and the tray comes out again, making the same chime.

"Well, shit, son, you actually fixed it!" Hal laughs and Danny shrugs.

"My parents…they were scientists and gear heads. I've been around machines all my life." True, but he really only took an interest after his ghost powers really manifested and he needed to know how to repair the thermos.

Hal turns to look at him, "Where do you want me to send the check?"

"Oh, shit – I mean…I don't really have a bank account."

"How old are you, boy?" Hal crosses his arms.

"Twenty four?"

"And you don't have a bank account?"

"No. Never really needed one."

"I'm guessing you were really spoiled, huh?" Hal doesn't look happy.

"No. As a kid my parents opened up a savings account for me but it's under their name. I can't access it without a lot of legal help but legal help kind of-"

"Requires money. Gotcha. Alright. Cash work for you?"

"Yes? I mean, of course!"

"Yer gonna need a uniform. Not for today but…I can have one for you tomorrow. I'll take it out of your 'check,' okay?"

"Sounds good to me."

"You know how to cook?"

"Yes. No formal training or anything but I've been told I'm fairly good at cooking."

"Okay so no kitchen duty for you. Jennifer can show you how to work the register. You'll work the counter or clean, got it?"

"Yes, sir." Danny nods a little dumbly. Everything feels a little surreal. He thought getting a job would be…a lot harder, actually.

"Lisa!" Hal calls and the cute waitress comes around the corner to look at Hal.

"What's up?" She asks, sticking her pen behind her ear.

"This is Danny, he's gonna be working here."

Lisa looks between Danny and Hal with a raised eyebrow. She shakes her head and smiles, moving over to shake Danny's hand, "It's nice to meet you, Danny."

"You, too, Lisa." Danny smiles.

"Oh, Hal. This is for table two." She hands him a ticket before grabbing two to-go boxes and heading back over to the dining area.

The older man looks at Danny and asks, "You good to start work today?"

"Of course. I need the money more than you can imagine."

Hal nods and motions for Danny to follow him, "Jennifer, you watch the counter. Lisa, keep watching the booths."

Danny follows Hal back into the back room and says, "Gonna put me to work?" He asks, sticking his hands into his pockets.

"I'm going to be paying you so yes, I am," Hal looks over his shoulder at Danny, "Any cares as to your schedule?"

"Nope. I have nothing to do." Danny shrugs, "You can stick me with the bad shifts, I don't mind."

"Good. Cause while I know people are more open to having a pretty girl asking what they want, I just lost two servers so I'd like you to help by waiting tables." Hal stops in the kitchen before grabbing a few pans and starting on…whatever it is that Table 2 ordered.

"Don't you need like…a certificate or something?"

"Nope. Can you listen?"

"Yes?"

"Do you know how to talk to others in a friendly manner?" Hal sounds like he's reciting something from memory. Like he's done this a million times.

"Yes."

"You know how to read a crowd and know who needs help or assistance?"

"Pretty sure I can."

"Can you balance multiple plates on your arms?"

"Not that I know of but I've got good coordination and balance."

"We can have Jenny help you practice. Do you have a good grasp of the English language?"

"English, Español, and Sign Language," Danny brags, "So I'm capable of waiting on a few customers."

"Now yer just bragging," Hal smirks, "Good. Sell your strong points. Think you can sell good dishes to customers?"

"If I think they're good," Danny smiles, "Generally, yeah."

"Good. Now, do you know the number one rule of customer service?"

"Uhh…" Danny pauses, "The customer is always right?"

"Bingo, kid. You might just be good for this after all!"

Danny grins and watches Hal put the cooked food onto the plates before taking them over to the counter and calling for Lisa. The waitress comes over and grabs the plate, thanking Hal before heading back into the dining area to deliver the food.

Hal comes back in and wipes his hands off on his apron, "Alright, I grilled you. You got any questions for me?"

"Um…hmm. How many hours a day will I work? And how many days a week?"

"Depends on how much work I need done and how much you want to work."

"I need all the hours and money I can get."

"I'm guessing you'd have no issue with a six or eight hour shift? We're open every day of the week but I usually only have the girls work five days a week. Jenny is a student and Lisa isn't so _usually_ Jenny gets the weekends off so she can go have fun with her friends. Sometimes I'll call her in if someone calls in sick. I'll always have your schedule up on the board over there. Check it every day. Or every other day. Usually I'll talk to you if there's a major change. Or my wife will. She's sick at the moment, though."

"Okay, so basically I'm going to be a waitress. Waiter. So I just…greet customers, take orders, relay orders, take payments?"

"Yeah. Plus set up, restocking condiments and the like, clean up, dishes. I'd also like you to double as a bus boy if we're not too busy. Pretty much just all around help."

"I've got no problem with that. For the stuff I don't know, I can ask Jenny or…uh, Lisa?"

"I don't think Lisa's gonna have much free time for you, kid. She works seven days a week and she's got a kid at home."

"Okay, so Jenny." Danny nods, "What about if something drastic happens and I'm late or can't come in? Do I call here or do you prefer if I call you at home?"

"Depends on what time it is. The shop's got no answering machine so if it's open, call here. If it's the middle of the night, call my number – I'll have to give you some paperwork to fill out, by the way – and I'll play the machine before I leave. If it's during open hours, chances are that no one's home and your message won't get to me til after I close and head home." Danny reminds himself that cellphones aren't a thing yet.

Hal puts the food onto the plates before taking them over to the counter and calling for Lisa. The waitress comes over and grabs the plate, thanking Hal before she heads back into the dining area to deliver the food.

Hal comes back in and wipes his hands off on his apron, "Oh, and I'm going to need a number to reach you at in case I need you to cover a shift."

Danny makes an unsure noise before he hunches his shoulders, "I don't exactly have a number. I'm crashing on a friends couch at the moment but I could try to get that for you. I don't have it memorized at the moment."

"Right, right. Sorry," Hal rubs at his chin before looking at Danny, "Well, you'll just have to give that to me when it happens."

"Of course," Danny promises, "You'll be the first to get it."

"Good. I like you, Danny." Danny preens at the words as the older man continues, "Well, since I can't call you to let you know what time to come in, just come in around nine?"

"I'll set up an alarm of some kind."

"Alright. Well, if you don't have any more questions, we need to work."

"Not a problem!" Danny stands upright and Hal sets him to work.

By the time all of the work given to him is done – it's mostly cleaning; sweeping, doing the dishes, taking out the trash – it's time to close and he's exhausted.

He comes out to the front to see Jenny closing up shop and putting everything away.

"Hey there, Danny." Jenny greets as she puts the last of the ketchup bottles on the counter. Danny is guessing that's where they sit.

"Hey," he yawns and stretches his arms over his head, "Need any help?"

"Nah, we've got it. You can help tomorrow, though, since you got the job."

Danny laughs and nods, "Of course. You can show me the ropes for waiting on tables."

"Oh? You're really gonna be a server?" She snickers, looking over to Hal as he comes out of the kitchen, "Hal, are you gonna make him wear a cute outfit?"

Hal shakes his head as he hands Danny a folder filled with papers, "Not on your life, Jennifer. But he is going to have to dress right. I'll bring that tomorrow." He hesitates before he adds, "Maybe."

Danny laughs as he grabs his duffle bag from beneath the counter where he'd hidden it and slips the file inside before he throws the strap over his shoulder, "Eh, you can just shove me back into the kitchen to clean up again if you can't get it. I'm flexible."

"Good to know," Hal ushers Jenny and Danny outside – Lisa is nowhere in sight so Danny guesses she took off – before he locks up the door and heads off in the opposite direction of the college, "Good night, you two."

"Night!" Danny and Jenny wave.

Seemingly out of nowhere, Jenny throws herself onto Danny and hugs him tight, "Congrats!"

"Wha?"

"Oooh, I was so scared Hal was going to tell you no!"

"Psh, I'm too charming," Danny smiles, joking, "No one can resist me."

"Oh? Really? Is that so?" Jenny lets her legs turn to jelly and she goes limp in Danny's arms. Danny barely has time to catch her before she's 'swooning' and she coo's, "Oh, Danny. I'm no match for your charm and dashing good looks!"

"I feel like I'm being made fun of. What's wrong with the way I look?"

"Other than your hair? Nothing."

"I will drop you," Danny deadpan.

Jenny laughs and Danny pulls her upright before nudging her to start walking, "Come on. I'll walk you to your place."

"Oooh," Jenny laughs, linking her arm around Danny's, "My knight in shining armor!"

Danny tries to keep a frown on his face as he looks at her but her grin is infectious and he ends up laughing and looking away, "Yeah, yeah. Whatever."

"Ahhh, come on, Danny. I was kidding!" She leans forward as they walk.

Instead of replying, Danny blows a raspberry at Jenny which causes her to laugh.

The sun is almost done setting by the time they get to dorm and both of them have spent most of the walk laughing about…absolutely nothing.

"Thanks for walking me back to my dorm, Danny," Jenny looks at him, grin still plastered on her face, "If you can't get into Jack's dorm, I'm sure Maddie wouldn't have an issue with you crashing at our place."

Danny snorts, "Right. Gonna just make couch surfing a thing, huh?"

Jenny rolls her eyes, "You could. Anyway. See you tomorrow for work, yeah?"

"What time do you start?"

"My shift usually starts at one or two, depending on the day. All of my classes are in the morning."

Danny nods, "Okay. Just curious. Thanks for talking to Hal about this for me. I really owe you one."

"Nah. Just did what I could. You're a good guy and you deserve to have a few good things come your way." Jenny gently pats Danny's arm before she heads inside.

The halfa takes his time with making his way back to Jack and Vlad's dorm. Honestly, he's not even sure he's allowed to go back there. Vlad doesn't seem too keen on having him anywhere nearby.

He pushes that though to the back of his mind as he gets to Jack and Vlad's door and knocks.

The door opens to reveal Jack who grins wide at Danny, "Danny!" he shouts before rushing forward and hugging Danny, "There you are! We were starting to get worried!"

"He was." Danny peeks over Jack's shoulder to see Vlad sitting on the couch with a textbook in his lap, "I was _not._ "

"Come on in, man!" Jack pulls him inside and closes the door behind him.

"Sorry about that. I, uh, well I wasn't really sure if I was allowed to come back?"

"Of course you are!" "No, you're not."

Jack turns back to glare at Vlad, "V-man, we talked about this."

"No, you talked. I caved," Vlad looks less than happy.

Danny coughs, trying to catch their attention but Jack just keeps going, "What's your issue with Danny?"

"I already told you, I don't want him taking advantage of you and staying here indefinitely!"

Jack opens his mouth and Danny steps forward, clapping his hands together to catch their attention, "Good news on that front!"

Danny glances between the two, making sure he has their attention before he continues, "I got a job down at Hal's diner. Jenny put in a good word for me and Hal needed the help a.s.a.p."

Jack cheers and hugs Danny again, "Alright! That is awesome, Danny!"

Danny laughs, "Thanks! I'll be able to repay you and get out of your hair soon. Hopefully."

"Did you change clothes?" Vlad asks and when Danny looks at him he looks…very upset.

"Oh, yeah." Danny hesitates, unsure exactly how he'd managed to upset Vlad, "Dean had some old clothes lying around so he gave them to me. I'm just glad they fit."

Vlad snaps his book shut before he stands up and disappears into the bedroom without a word.

"Ahh, ignore Vladdie," Jack beams, "I'm so stoked that you got a job, man!"

Danny blushes and smiles, "Thanks. I am, too. I thought it would take me forever to start getting myself back on track."

Danny closes his eyes and stands up straight to look at Jack, "Thank you, D…Thanks, Jack. If you hadn't decided to take me to lunch I'd have never met Jenny. And if you hadn't let me stay here…if you hadn't let me come meet your friends…I'd never have met Dean and gotten this job."

"Danny, man, trust me. It wasn't _that_ big a deal."

"Jack, _man_ , trust _me_. It's made _all_ the difference," Danny smiles, sincere, "Thank you. From the bottom of my heart."

Jack blushes and scratches at the back of his head, "I'm glad I could help. I…I knew you were a good guy right off the bat. I mean, you stepped in and saved Mads. You didn't deserve to rot in some alleyway or go to some homeless shelter. No one does."

"You're a rare guy, Jack." It still feels too weird referring to his father by his first name, "Don't ever change."

Jack just laugh and they both sit on the couch. Danny takes his bag off his shoulder and sets it down beside him.

"So you got a job down at Hal's?"

"Yeah," Danny laughs and tells him all about it and what he'd done that day, pointedly keeping his conversation with Dean that morning a secret.

Before he knows it, Jack is yawning and going to bed, wishing Danny a good night and disappearing to the other side of the door.

The halfa sighs, kicking off his shoes before he grabs the folder of paperwork out of his bag. He steals a pen from the desk on the other side of the room and sets the paperwork down on the table.

He knows that these things are usually filled out and signed before the person goes to work. And he knows that Hal took a huge risk doing it in the other order. He _really_ hopes this works out long term. Well, not _long_ term but long enough so he can get himself set up here.

The only thing that stumps him is his SSN. Of course he knows his number but…it wouldn't match his name. God, it wouldn't even match his ID, which is out of date.

And of course, it wouldn't be smart to use the last name Fenton but honestly he doesn't think he could get used to a new name. It's always been his name. He _likes_ his name.

He leans back against the back of the couch and runs his hand through his hair. He worries that he'd just cornered himself when his phone vibrates.

 _I can arrange a few things to make life easier for you. A birth certificate, for example. –Clockwork_

 _Your identification will be the same. You have no reason to fear getting found out as a fraud. –Clockwork_

 _Are you watching me? –Danny_

The text is meant to be teasing but it, apparently, goes right over the Time Keeper's head.

 _No. But I am trying to look out for you. This is one of the few things I can do for you. I'll have some important items delivered to Jack's dorm. –Clockwork_

 _Thank you. –Danny_

 _I am simply trying to help where I can. –Clockwork_

Danny smiles and sighs, putting his phone away and putting in his SSN into the box. Once everything is checked again and signed, Danny puts it away in the folder and puts the folder underneath his bag so – hopefully – no one will see it and go snooping since it has his full name in it.

Danny pulls his over-shirt off and folds it before stuffing it in the bag. He grabs the big puffy comforter from the arm of the couch before he lays down and tries to fall asleep.

He has work in the morning.

 _He has work in the morning._

Something tells him he wouldn't be so excited if he were back home applying for a job under normal circumstances. But these aren't normal circumstances. And he's so happy that he's on the right track to setting up a life.

Even if it's not ideal…and he'd rather be home with his friends and family…at least he won't be homeless and imposing on Jack anymore.


	10. Chapter 10

By the next Wednesday, Danny is over the novelty of having a job and working for Hal. A week and a half of full-shift days, every day, and Danny is…tired. The pay isn't great – but he also keeps forgetting that apartments, food, clothes, everything is cheaper – and on top of that, he has to deal with shitty people leaving messes everywhere and harassing Jenny and Lisa. Not to mention that the uniform Hal had gotten him was just a pair of gross green slacks and a short sleeved button up shirt. The pants are too tight and the shirt doesn't let him move as well as he wants. But if he wants to get a better uniform he has to buy it himself.

He just smiles and endures it, though, because it's not that bad. He gets to hang out with Jenny all day. And she's turned out to be a great friend. She's funny, sarcastic, and just a tiny bit snarky. Danny's kind of girl. She's incredibly sweet, too, and Danny had been more than touched when she'd talked Hal into setting up a donation jar on the counter.

Aside from Jenny's amazing company, Dany looks forward to a group of girls, all students at the college, who come in for lunch every day. They tip well and they playfully flirt with Danny whenever he comes over. They've started requesting him even if he's the one behind the counter and Jenny and Lisa are the ones covering the booths. Which is great because he gets to flirt and they tip _fantastically_.

All the same, Danny was relieved when Hal had closed up the dinner and given them Wednesday off. His wife wasn't getting better and he'd had to take her to the hospital. They'd all sent their best wishes but were relieved for the day off.

Danny was able to sleep in – not all that late, though, because he's used to being sleep deprived and running off of four or five hours a night and he hasn't been able to sleep more than eight in one day – before waking up to the sound of Jack puttering around the dorm room.

"Mornin'," Dany greets, voice tired and a little slurred as he sits up.

"Oh, hey, Danny," Jack visibly winces before laughing, "Sorry for waking you."

"Mmm, I's okay. Actually slept pretty well." Danny glances at the 'spare' alarm clock that Jack had given him. Part of Danny suspects that Jack went out and bought it for him because it looks so very new and unused.

"Good. Good." Jack grabs his shoes and continues, "We're all going out to lunch if you wanna come with."

"You…sound like you don't want me to come with you." Danny frowns, scared that Jack is upset with him.

"No! No, that's not it. I'm just…I wanna go meet up with Vladdie to talk about something we were talking about yesterday."

"And," Danny drags out the word before continuing, "You don't want me there while you guys talk."

"Yeah, I don't mean to offend-"

"None taken." Danny brings up his hands to stop Jack, "Seriously, I get it. I can walk with you to meet up with him and then just…chill somewhere while you guys talk. Then you can come find me when you're done."

The mention of lunch reminds, him, though, "I just remembered," he turns and starts digging in his bag.

He gets up from the couch, neatly folding the blanket he'd all but high jacked and putting it on the arm of the couch. He roots through his bag and grabs the small lump of cash he has from the tips he'd earned. He turns to hand it to Jack – to pay him for letting him stay here – but Jack is talking before Danny can even get his mouth open.

"Danny, if you offer to give me that I'm going to be very upset."

"What? Jack, I just wa-"

"No. I'm not taking money from a homeless man. Even if he has a job."

"Alright, fine. Then when I get an apartment-"

"Yeah. Yeah, _maybe._ "

"Yes." Danny insists, "I _need_ to repay you."

"You really don't, Danny." Jack shrugs, "Get dressed so we can go."

Danny drops the subject but makes a mental note that he might have to just leave the cash in Jack's apartment if he wants to pay Jack back for his kindness.

It doesn't take more than a few minutes for Danny to get ready to leave n- he'd taken a shower last night after work so it's not like he smells or anything. He heads out with Jack, walking towards the center of Campus and into one of the buildings.

Danny has no idea where he's going and he's just following Jack.

Jack leads Danny to a classroom and stops outside. The class is still in session so Danny leans against the far wall with Jack. He doesn't know when this class gets out but he figures it can't be that long if Jack is here waiting.

"You're sure this isn't a problem?" Jack starts again, rubbing at the back of his head, "I mean, it's rude to exclude you and-"

"Jack. Stop. It's fine. You're stressing over this too much." Danny shoves his hand into his pockets, "I get it. Really. Jack is your best friend and I'm new. I get that you like me and we're friends. You needing to talk to Vlad privately doesn't mean you don't like me. I _get_ it."

Jack blinks, staring at Danny before he grins wide and throws one arm over Danny's shoulder, "You're such a laid back dude, Danny!"

If Danny closes his eyes and pretends Jack's voice is just an octave or two lower…he can almost fool himself into thinking this is _his_ father. That he's back home and his dad is proud of him. That he's back home.

That he's not alone…

"You okay, Danny?" Danny opens his eyes and looks up at Jack.

The Halfa nods and pulls away from Jack's arm, "Yeah, no. I'm…I'm fine." He blinks back a few tears, "It's just…you _really_ remind me of my dad sometimes…"

Jack's face falls into a worried frown and he opens his mouth to say something but the door opens and a small swarm of students' floods out of the room.

"Don't worry about it…" Danny shrugs, "It's nice. You're nice. So thanks."

Once the other people are gone, Danny holds open the door for Jack. The bigger man nods but, for once, doesn't say anything as he heads inside. Dann follows, letting the door shut gently behind him.

Jack immediately heads to the back of the class where Vlad is cleaning up his notebook and materials. The classroom is large but…old. It looks like it was built in the forties or something and it could use a bit of maintenance.

Danny meanders over to the front of the room, just waiting for Jack and Vlad to finish their conversation which he is actively blocking out. There's a kickstand whiteboard next to the professors' desk. It has the words 'Daily Challenge' written up top with a '12' circled in red. Beneath that is a mathematics problem in black.

It takes Danny about fifteen seconds to figure out the answer to the problem. It takes him about three minutes to grab the blue marker and write down his steps and the answer to the problem on the board.

It reminds him of Jazz and all of the afternoons she spent tutoring him just so he could graduate. Even after she went away to Harvard she'd jump on Skype at night and screen-share with him to help him study. Even though she had her own work to do, she always found time to help him with his work. And she kept up with it…even though Danny was sure it was effecting her grades.

She's the reason he ended up loving to learn. And not just machines and space. But English and other languages. Science and math. Art and music…

All of it…just learning in general.

"Very impressive."

Danny nearly jumps out of his skin at the voice that is right behind him. Behind him is a middle aged man who is – undoubtedly – the professor of this class.

"What's your name, young man? I always give credit where credit is due."

Danny nervously rubs at the back of his neck, "Aha, I'm…I'm not a student of yours. I don't go here…I can erase it…"

"No. No, no, please, leave it. Perhaps it will inspire my students to try a bit harder during my next class."

The halfa feels a bit sheepish, "Wasn't trying to…show anyone up. I kind of just did it without thinking."

"Don't be so humble. None of my students could think of how to solve this problem. If you don't mind me asking, what are you doing here if you're not a student?"

"I'm a friend of Jack's, actually." He turns and points over to Jack and Vlad appear to be having a heated – but quiet – argument.

"I see. You tackled this problem very quickly. I must ask…where did you learn do do this level of mathematics? You obviously had a very skilled teacher."

The professor looks very interested and Danny smiles, thinking back, "My sister, actually. She taught me pretty much everything. I could never pay attention in class as a kid so she'd teach me after school. She showed me how to 'work smart, not hard.' She taught me how to shortcuts and shorthand. All kinds of things."

"Your sister must be a veritable genius," the older man praises, "Is _she_ a student here?"

Danny shakes his head, "No. Jazz…use to go to Harvard before…she passed."

"My deepest condolences," He puts a hand on his chest, obviously not expecting that, "I'm sure that she'd be very proud to know that all of her hard work has paid off."

Danny feels a little weird claiming that Jazz is head when she's not. At least…from what he understands. Regardless, it's an easier explanation than the truth so Danny gives the middle aged man a tight lipped smile and a thank you.

"I don't mean to sound forward, young man, but have you _considered_ applying for our university? You would be a wonderful asset to our body of students."

"I hadn't…Well, I mean I did but never as a _real_ possibility. My life is in shambles right now and I don't even have a real place to live. Maybe once I get my life back on track but I mean…me affording college at this point is a pipe dream."

"Well, once you 'get your life in order'…if you decide to apply, head down to the DeRicco building and ask for the Melody grant. If you're as smart in other areas as you were right here," He taps the board for emphasis, "there's a good possibility that you could get a near full-ride scholarship."

Danny thanks him right as Jack and Vlad walk up to them. While Vlad's sour look isn't surprising, Jack's _is._ Obviously their talk hadn't gone well.

"Hey, you guys done?" Danny asks, a little worried.

"Yeah," Jack side-eyes Vlad before looking back at Danny, "We're ready to go meet up with the others."

Taking the cue, the professor turns to Danny and holds out his hand, "Well, it was nice meeting you…"

"Danny," he shakes the older man's hand, "It was nice meeting you, too."

"Godfrey Young. Have a nice day, boys."

With a simple wave, the conversation is over and Danny is left with the thought of going back to college. Obviously things wouldn't be _nearly_ as hard this time around…since kids from Danny's time had to learn harder things earlier. Most of the stuff this college would try to teach him are things he'd learned in high school. And honestly, some of the things Danny had learned in college probably haven't become a requirement to learn. Or they don't exist yet.

It would be so weird to go to college with not-his-parents. And his new friends.

And _Vlad_.

Almost as if Vlad knows Danny is thinking about him, the man scowls and turns on his heel before leaving. Jack rolls his eyes and nods for Danny to follow him before following after Vlad.

"I take it your talk didn't go too well?" Danny easily keeps up with Jack about twenty steps behind Vlad.

"Nope. Vlad is just…he's like my brother but-"

"Even siblings fight, Jack."

"I know, but…I'm not supposed to complain about my best friend! But it's like every time I bring you up he…uh," Jack suddenly looks guilty.

"You don't have to worry. I know he doesn't like me a lot."

"More like not at all," Jack frowns, "Sorry, I-"

"You don't have to apologize. You can't always get everyone to like you."

"Well, yeah, but Vlad's being bull-headed. Keeps saying you're trying to take advantage of me."

Danny doesn't say anything. Mostly because Vlad almost has a point. Danny has nothing and Jack had offered him a place to stay and Danny intends to stay until he's back on his feet.

The other reason he stays quiet is because he doesn't exactly want to speak ill of Vlad to Jack. It might get him kicked out on the street. Or worse: it might end up driving a wedge between Jack and Vlad. That's the last thing Dany wants.

"Sorry, I shouldn't be venting to you," Danny tunes back into what Jack is saying, "Vlad's my best friend and I barely know you. But I trust you and I just…"

"You don't have to worry about me blabbing to Vlad about what you said." Mostly because he didn't even hear it, "It's good to get things off your chest. I'll put it under lock and key."

"Thanks, Danny," Jack smiles, not like his normal ear-to-ear grin but it's no less sincere.

There's a quiet sort of back and forth between the two of them from there as they follow behind Vlad. It's a little surprising to see his father so calm and collected. He's nowhere the level of animated Danny is used to. It's unsettling but also reassuring.

When they catch up with Vlad its because he's stopped walking and is waiting for the two outside of a pretty looking restaurant. The name on the side reads ' _Fina's'_.

Once Jack and Danny are close enough, Vlad scowls and heads inside, not bothering to hold the door for them.

"I really wish he didn't hate me so much for something so-"

"Stupid and untrue?" Jack provides.

"Honestly? Yeah."

They both head inside. From the entryway, they can easily see Maddie, Dean, Harriet and Vlad at a large table.

"Jack! Danny!" Maddie stands up from her chair and waves over at Danny and Jack.

Danny awkwardly waves back before Jack is back to his normal self, cheerful with a large grin on his face as he ushers Danny over to their group of friends. The Halfa ends up sitting at the end of the table across from Jack and next to Dean. Maddie and Harriet occupy the other end of the table and Vlad is between Maddie and Jack.

"So, Danny! I hear you're a working man now!" Harriet cheers, leaning on the table to look at Danny around Dean.

"Oh, yeah…Jenny got me a job at Hal's diner. Uh, speaking of Jenny, where is she?"

Dean sneers and says, "We invited her but she's spending time with _Mike_."

"Mike?" Danny asks, a little confused, "Her boyfriend?"

He'd heard Jenny talk about him during work but it's not ever really in a good sense. It's usually 'Mike forgot this…' or 'Mike and I were fighting…' and it makes sense that they wouldn't like him if they hear all of the bad things Danny hears.

"Yeah," Maddie's tone is disapproving – a tone Danny knows all too well.

"Okay, do we not like Mike?" Danny asks, making sure.

"No one likes Mike," Harriet buts in, "Not even Vlad likes him."

Vlad frowns, "I resent that. Anyone with a brain would hate Mike."

Something catches Danny's eye beyond Maddie and Vlad's head. Jenny is coming from the bathroom. Now either they lied to Danny about where Jenny was or – the most likely scenario – they don't know she's here. And she looks like she's been crying. Hard.

Jenny meets his gaze and immediately looks away before she turns around and heads back through the door that reads 'bathrooms'.

"Uhhh, I'm gonna….use the restroom. Be right back." Danny says, not really caring who hears him as he gets up and heads around the table.

"Wait, if the waitress-" Jack tries but Danny cuts him off.

"Coke. Or Pepsi. Doesn't matter to me."

The door to the restrooms leads to a little hallway with two doors. Jenny is kneeling down on the floor across from the actual restroom doors.

"Jenny? Hey, Jen, are you okay?" Danny kneels next to her and gently grabs her shoulder.

"Nothing," Jenny huffs, looking away, expression screaming embarrassment and a little shame, "Don't worry about it."

"No, no, I'm going to worry about it." Danny moves a little closer.

"Danny, really, it's nothing, I'm just -"

"Jenny if it's enough to make you cry, it's important."

"I wasn't-"

"You were. I can see it." Danny awkward wraps his arm around her shoulder and hugs her, "If you don't want to talk about it…I'll drop it. But I want you to know you can talk to me."

"It's stupid."

"It's obviously not stupid if you're crying over it." Danny sits down next to her.

"It's – it's just…my boyfriend….Mike, he…we planned to go on a date today but….he's at his place _with his friends_ getting drunk at -" she looks around for a clock but can't find one, "who knows in the afternoon!"

Danny frowns, "This sounds like a recurring problem."

"This always happens, I don't know why I'm even surprised anymore."

Danny frowns, deeply perturbed. Why were none of the others more upset by this?

"That sounds like utter horse shit. Why are you with him if he doesn't make you happy?"

"Because I love him and he's sweet." Jenny stuffs her hands between her thighs and she looks so small as she curls in on herself.

"You mean he's sweet when he bothers to make an effort?" He hates this.

He hates how familiar this is to him. It reminds him of Jazz's first boyfriend.

Besides Johnny who totally, one hundred percent does _not_ count.

His strong, smart, independent sister had been reduced to a sobbing mess four days out of the week beause of him. Because he kept jerking her around with ' _If you love me'_ s and ' _I need you_ 's. Because she loved him when he didn't return the feelings. And if he did, they were not to the same level.

Danny and his friends and their parents had to intervene. Use Jazz's own psychology against her. They'd learned a lot from her but it had still been so difficult to convince her…

"Does he apologize for ignoring you?"

"All the time."

"Does he ever actually say 'I'm sorry' or that it was wrong of him?"

Jenny looks at him very confused, "Well…I mean, he says he didn't mean to hurt me and that he'll try harder."

"Jenny, that's not what I asked."

The blonde pressed her lips into a thin line and she really has to think which gives Danny his answer well before she opens her mouth to say, "No, not….really. I mean, maybe…maybe back when this all started?"

"Then, Jenny, I'm sorry to say this but…he's not sorry. And chances are….he knows exactly what he's doing…he knows he can get away with neglecting you and keep you around."

"That's not-" her voice had been really loud but she quickly drops it again, "That's not true, Danny. He loves me."

"I'm not saying he doesn't…I'm saying he knows he doesn't have to put any effort into your relationship to keep it."

"No, I'm telling you -" she cuts off, not having anything to argue with, "Trust me, there's effort."

"Where is there effort?" Danny asks, "I really want to know. If I'm wrong I will apologize and say I was wrong but…Jenny…my sister went through this exact same thing with her first real boyfriend. She fell in love and it was great at first. And then as time went on…things got worse. They fought a lot. If they did anything together it was arguing. And she loved him and what they used to be and she didn't want to let it go. She wanted to hang on and get it back to what it was. But it's not going to. It's just going to keep getting worse. It never gets better."

She looks so lost as she looks at Danny, "This is – this is so different, Danny. Whatever your sister went through, it's not what my problem is with Mike."

Danny bites his lip, thinking about Jazz and how it had really been compared to what she'd told them…"Does he throw things when he gets mad?"

She hesitates, obviously not liking the question, "Well, yes but….not at me or anything. He doesn't hit me. He just…he takes his anger out on inanimate objects."

"Are they your things or his? Are they things you share?"

She looks so very defensive as she sits there. She doesn't want to answer but she eventually says, "My things. Always. And it always leads to more fighting."

"Does he apologize for breaking your things?"

Jenny can see where this is going and tears gather in her eyes, "N-no. He says I shouldn't have started the argument."

"I an already guess the answer….but when the fight is over…and you're both calm again…does he clean up the mess he made or does he make you do it?"

"He doesn't…make me. He just leaves it there until I clean it up."

"Why does that matter?" She turns away, not looking at Danny.

"Jenny, remorse….guilt…it makes you want to right what was wrong. It makes you want to apologize, doesn't it?"

Jenny hiccups, starting to cry again and Danny feels regret coil in his stomach. He doesn't want to be the reason she cries but…well, it was better to make her hurt now with the hope that she leaves him for someone who makes her happy…

"He isn't sorry. Is he?"

"It…doesn't sound like it. I don't know him like you do but I've seen things just like this."

"What are the chances….that he'll change?"

Danny doesn't want to hurt her but it's better to know the truth "That depends on him…my sister's boyfriend promised to change and he did…for about two weeks. Then it all went back to normal…well….normal for him."

Jenny shakes, curling up, "Part of me…part of me knew…three years and it's just...getting worse and worse. I – I just – _I love him!_ "

"Jenny, just because you love someone…doesn't mean that they love you back. And not always in the same way…" Danny shakes his head, "You deserve to be with someone who treats you like the amazing, funny, hard working woman that you are. Someone who won't ignore you."

She sniffles and looks up at him with a slight doe-eyed expression, "Do you really think I'm funny?"

"You make me laugh all the time at work." He smiles, "And I've only known you guys a short time."

She's stopped crying but now she's really quiet and Danny doesn't know which one is worse. Well, no, he does. The crying was worse but this is still unsettling.

"I'll…I'll think about it." She tells Danny, "It's been so long since I've talked to anyone about Mike…"

"What do you mean?"

"The other's don't like Mike. If I try to talk about him they all get this look on their face like they're smelling bad milk. Even Vlad." She sighs, "I just…thanks, Danny…for listening. And offering some…really good advice."

"No problem. I figure your boyfriend should act like a partner…not a child or asshole."

Jenny snorts and nudges Danny's arm, "Oh, I would be a terrible mom."

"Can't be that bad," Danny shrugs, "You'd be better than my parents."

"Oh, my kid would be a saint."

"Mmm, nah. They'd need a wonderful older sister to take care of them."

Their quiet laughter calms down a bit before Jenny takes a deep breath and stands up.

She scrubs her hands over her face before turning to Danny, "How do I look?"

Danny sands up and smiles, "Gorgeous. But like you've been crying. You should go into the bathroom and wash your face. I'm going to head back to the table…are you okay?"

She nods, "Uh…do they?"

"No, they don't know you're here. Said I was heading to the bathroom."

She hugs him tightly before letting him go and smiling at him, "Thank you. Could you…not tell them?"

"Of course."

"You're the best." She turns and heads into the ladies' restroom.

Danny rubs at the back of his head in embarrassment before he turns and heads back towards their group of friends.

"There you are!" Jack smiles at Danny as the Halfa sits down at the table, "We thought you'd fallen in!"

"Har har," Danny snarks, feeling particularly sarcastic, "Did you all order?"

"Just drinks," Maddie smiles, "Harriet can't decide on what she wants."

"Shush, Mads." Harriet pouts, "I have to watch my figure if I'm going to go into journalism."

"Who cares about figure?" Dean snorts.

"I do!" Harriet snaps.

"Mmm, if you're doing it for personal reasons there's nothing wrong with dieting and exercising. But if you're doing it for someone else…that's less good." Danny hums.

"Easy for you to say Mr. gorgeous probably-has-six-packs. _I_ have a slow metabolism."

"I remember from our first lunch at Hal's."

Jenny shows up then, with her purse in her hands and her hair braided over one shoulder, "Hey, guys! Room for one more?"

"Of course!" Maddie cheers, patting the table to indicate the space across from her.

"Great! So," she sits down, "So what did I miss?"

"Harriet complaining about her metabolism," Maddie smiles, "We were talking about acceptable reasons to diet."

"Well, personal preference? Health reasons?" She shrugs, "I mean, my brother's diabetic so he has to watch what he eats."

"True," Jack frowns, "But is that really dieting or is that just monitoring your food intake? Vlad's allergic to mushrooms so he avoids them but that's not a diet."

Danny leans on his hand and watches the deliberation turn into a debate. It's such a silly topic but everyone is so invested in it. Even Vlad is throwing in his two cents.

The only interruptions are when the waiter takes their orders and drops their food off. They're there, loud and rowdy, for over two hours. Danny can't help but compare the food to Hal's.

When everyone starts paying, Danny pulls out his share and he could swear Vlad is giving him a death glare.

Danny just shrugs it off and focuses instead on Jenny and Dean as they giggle over something Harriet said.

After another hour of nonsense and goofing off, their little group leaves the restaurant and starts splitting up. Harry and Jenny head back to campus, Harriet for classes and Jenny to her dorm. Dean heads off for his band practice. Which leaves Danny with Vlad, Jack, and Maddie.

Maddie and Jack are looking at him excitedly as they stand outside the front entrance. Vlad looks kind of like he bit into a lemon but he always looks like that so Danny brushes it off.

"What?" He asks, shoving his hands into his pockets.

"We were all wondering-"

" _They_ were wondering." Vlad interrupts, earning him an elbow to the side from Maddie.

"We were wondering if you are free to hang out on Saturday night."

"Unless my schedule changes, yeah. I get off work around six, though."

"That's fine!" Jack chirps.

Danny frowns, "Don't you guys usually go do something on Saturday nights?"

"Yes. The three of us do." Vlad crosses his arm and refuses to look at Danny.

"You know we're…ghost enthusiasts." Maddie starts out.

Something clicks and Danny teases, "Don't tell me you guys go to abandoned houses and look for ghosts."

Jack and Maddie look a little sheepish and Danny almost winces.

"Oh my god you are…uh, okay so…"

"We want you to come with! You believe in ghosts, too, right?" Maddie claps her hands together.

Danny is silent for a moment before he sighs, "Honestly, every fiber of my being says this is a bad idea but…yeah, sure."

He's not in any danger, considering his powers and training, so he doesn't see the harm in going. Especially since his parents see their first real ghost when he's fourteen.

Vlad looks even more upset and he scowls as he heads back towards his and Jack's dorm. Jack and Maddie are skilled, though, so Danny figures he made the right call.

He wishes Vlad would be less of an angry jerk.

Jack throws his arm over Danny's shoulder and starts telling Danny about this house they had picked out.

"It's awesome, Danny! It was made in the twenties and like fifteen people died there. It's public property though, so we can totally go in and poke around!"

Okay, so…maybe he should have thought this through a bit more.


	11. Chapter 11

Danny rarely has free time anymore. With his new job and his friends, Danny never gets to just…lay down and lounge about. It's Friday and usually he'd be working but Hal had given him the day off because he's going to take his wife home from the hospital and take care of her.

He can't really find it in himself to complain, though, even if there's not much to do by yourself in this time. Video games aren't an overtly popular thing and he can't listen to music since it would be an obvious…anomaly.

Either way, his free time is very…boring. Jenny is off doing a bit of research for her class or something. Harriet is actually in one of her afternoon classes. Dean is off 'hanging out' with his new 'friend' Gabriel as he'd explained. He'd winked which makes Danny think there's something a little more than friendly going on. Jack and Maddie are doing research of their own on something or other. Danny can't remember what but he does remember believing them about as much as Vlad had. Which is not at all.

Luckily for Danny, Vlad has a pile of homework he wants to finish before Saturday so he's in his dorm, sitting in front of the table in the main room, and Danny is behind him, lounging about on the couch. Danny had offered Vlad the couch to be more comfortable but Vlad had replied that this helped him keep focused, sitting on the floor between the couch and table.

The offer had been about two hours ago and Danny is bored out of his mind. Vlad is still focused but he looks like he's about ready to scream.

"Are you okay over there? You look like you need a break." Danny breaks the 'silence'.

"You sound like Jack." Vlad snaps. It's not quite as hostile sounding when Vlad talks under his breath.

"I'll take that as a compliment." After all, Jack is Vlad's best friend, "Seriously though, take a break. Eat a snack. Calm down. You'll feel better."

Vlad puts his pencil down and turns to glare at Danny. With how often he does it, Danny's starting to feel immune.

"I have to go through all of this before tomorrow night," Vlad snaps, "I will not be able to do that if I keep taking breaks and talking to you."

"Do you want me to help-"

"No. You'd just slow me down. I don't have time to explain what I have to do…not even sure I understand it completely."

Danny frowns and sits up to look at Vlad's homework, "What are you doing? It looks like you're calculating statistical probabilities and averages."

"Yes. And usually I'm very good at math but I'm having trouble with this."

"Oh. Well, you just need to learn how to accurately table the data." Danny sits facing forward on the couch.

Vlad looks all kinds of disbelieving as he slides his homework sheet over towards Danny, "Alright, hot stuff, dazzle me."

Danny grabs the pencil out of Vlad's hands and looks over the sheet.

"Man, you are doing this the archaic way, aren't you?" Danny snorts, grabbing a piece of lined paper from the stack to show Vlad what he's doing.

He easily jots down the data into a table before breaking it into groups and separating it, answering the problems on the sheet. It takes him a little over two minutes before Danny has all of the data down and sorted out. It has labels and brackets and everything, just like Jazz taught him.

"There, how's that?" Danny slides the paper back over to Vlad and lays back down.

Vlad frowns and snatches the paper before he flips to the back of the book. The longer Vlad compares Danny's answers to the book, the more Danny worries that he got something wrong.

Soon enough, Vlad flips back to his spot in the book before he turns to glare at Danny, "Show me how you did that so quickly."

Danny blinks before getting up and sliding off the couch to sit next to Vlad on the floor.

"I can show you how I did it. I don't know if your textbook will agree. But…my sister liked to say that textbooks aren't always right."

That was only after Common Core was introduced and Jazz was well into college but that isn't the point.

Vlad puts his pen down and watches as Danny writes down the next problem with a line dividing it from the one he'd already done.

"The instructions usually give you the dividing number like here." Danny sets up the problem like he usually does before sliding the paper over to Vlad, "Okay, so, you're going to write down the numbers from smallest to largest."

Vlad does as Danny told him and once he's done, Danny continues, "The instructions say split it by three so since we're starting at seventy nine we stretch all the way to eighty point nine. All the way down here." Danny points to the number on the list he's talking about, "You know how to count so how many points between the first number and this limit?"

"There are nine numbers."

"Right. Nine data points. So seventy eight through eighty point nine has nine data points."

Vlad frowns as understanding dawns on him, "It's that easy? It's literally that easy? The book makes it so hard."

"Yeah, it's that easy. There are easier ways to do math than what most books show you, it's just a matter of figuring it out. My sister used to say 'work smart, not hard'."

"You mean your sister wanted to take the easy path in her studies?" Vlad turns up his nose.

Danny scowls and it takes everything Danny has to not snap. The room temperature drops a degree or but Danny quickly reigns it in.

"You find easier ways to do work when you juggle a job, tutoring, and six classes at Harvard a semester."

Danny stands up, intending to leave, but Vlad reaches out and grabs onto Danny's sleeve. He's not strong enough to actually stop Danny from leaving but Danny doesn't pull away, even with how mad Vlad's snide comment had made him.

Vlad doesn't look at Danny but he does say, "That was rude. You helped me and I…I'm sorry. That was uncalled for…"

Danny blinks down at Vlad before sitting back down, "It's…Thank you for the apology."

Vlad starts working on his homework again and Danny just watches him work, staying silent.

Never once, in the ten years Danny had known him – his universe's Vlad – had the man apologized. In a non-sarcastic or manipulative way, at least.

"I didn't mean to insult her, it's just…"

"Reflex, I know."

Vlad turns to look at Danny with a confused look on his face.

"The sarcasm. The biting wit. It's a defense mechanism, I know. Something happened and you don't want to deal with it or face it."

The taller man looks so tense beside Danny so he continues, "I'm not going to push. I just want you to know I get it…and to a point I am willing to let it slip."

"Your sister is off limits. Got it." Vlad sighs, "My mother would be so upset if she heard me talking like that…"

Danny stops. He hadn't really every given Vlad's family any thought. What was that family like? Where were they? What are they doing...and what had they been doing when Vlad was in the hospital…?

He shakes off his thoughts and gives Vlad a sad smile, "I get it. And I mean…Jazz is by no means perfect. God knows I found lots of flaws when…I just…miss her. I used to talk to her every day. Even after she moved to go to Harvard."

"Really?" Vlad taps his pencil on the table, "I…don't talk to my sister."

Danny stops, about to stick his foot in his mouth. He wanted to say 'You have a sister?'

Instead, he asks, "What happened between you two?"

Vlad looks like hi bit into a lemon and Danny expects a sarcastic remark. Something biting. To put those walls back up.

"Nothing. We get along great…when we see each other."

"So…why don't you see her more?"

Vlad frowns, not in his displeased way but in a deeply upset way, "Don't want to talk about my dad."

Oh. Well.

"Why not go visit her?"

"Don't want to run into him at the house."

Danny is quiet for a moment before he looks at Vlad, "What do you do on break? I mean, it's coming up, isn't it?"

"I stay with Jack and his parents over break. I…don't go back to my house."

There's a bit of silence before Danny asks, voice quiet, "Is…is that why you hate me so much? Because Jack took you in and now he's-"

"Don't." Vlad looks like he's about to blow steam from his ears, "That has nothing to do with why I dislike you."

The Halfa winces. At least he knows Vlad doesn't hate him…

"Sorry. Didn't mean to upset you." Danny looks away from Vlad and awkwardly sticks his hands in his lap.

Vlad deflates and also looks away, "No, I…that was…uncalled for. That's not…all of it. But yes, you do remind me of myself at eighteen. You're having a much easier time getting back on your feet than I did."

"I think you're looking at this wrong," Danny sighs, leaning against the couch, "We went through different things. I may not know what happened, but it's obviously…different."

"Oh?" Vlad's voice is sarcastic, "How should I be looking at this?"

"You have your family. Okay, maybe not your dad since he's obviously a dick or at the very least you guys don't get along. But you have your sister. And Jack's parents as surrogates otherwise, they wouldn't have taken you in. And on top of all of that, you have your friends. Jack and Maddie. Dean and Jenny and Harriet don't seem to hate you, either, so I'd count them."

"Are you really telling me to stop complaining because I don't have it as bad as you?" Vlad asks, exasperated.

"I wasn't thinking about it like that – I mean, my point was more 'cherish it while you have it and before it's gone' but I mean, whatever works for you. You don't even have to take my advice. I mean, my sister is gone, my parents are gone, my friends are gone. I have no home. I have no real money. What do I have? My life and the goodwill of a stranger. I'm not trying to hone in on your friendship with Jack and Maddie." Danny sighs, "Vlad, I'm just trying to survive and not cry myself to sleep every night."

Vlad presses his lips together in a thin line and his shoulders tense up.

Danny sighs and shakes his head, "Look, I'm sorry but -"

"No. No, you're right, Danny." Vlad takes a deep breath and looks up at the ceiling, "I just…well, I wasn't going to say anything but….since it's relevant…I heard you."

The room is silent for a few moments before Danny frowns and squints at Vlad, "I don't understand."

"That first night you stayed with us…" Vlad leans back against the foot of the couch and sinks lower, "I heard you…I had to pee so I got up but…you were crying so I stayed in my room. I almost missed it because of Jack's snoring."

"Oh…" Danny fidgets, "I see."

"I didn't tell anyone." Vlad mutters, "Not even Jack."

"Thanks…" Now Danny feels awkward and exposed. Which is weird because he is usually pretty okay with crying. It's cathartic. It helps heal.

Vlad goes back to his homework as Danny fidgets and picks at his cuticles.

Is it because he's finally making progress with Vlad and the only reason it's happening is because they both have had fucked up experiences?

It's a little painful to think about Vlad being in a situation that is similar to the one Danny is in…honestly, it's saddening. It would explain Vlad's attachment to Jack…and why it had destroyed him when Jack had just left his life and ran off with Maddie.

"If you don't want me to come along tomorrow, I can find some excuse to bow out." Danny offers, "I'm not that eager to go snooping, anyway."

"Don't bother," Vlad shakes his head, "You agreed. Only hell, high water, or an immediate due date will get you out of it. Jack might let you slide by if you were sick but that's only if he's feeling charitable."

Danny is happy that Vlad is calm and somewhat amicable.

"Yeah, that…yeah. Okay. I'll just…chill out in a corner, I guess."

Vlad smacks his pen down on the table – making Danny jump just a bit – before turning to glare at Danny, "Why are you so-" he moves his hand as if trying to find the right words, "-so eager to please everyone?"

"Wow, okay, back to anger." Maybe they weren't making that much progress, "Vlad. Look. These are your friends, not mine. I've only known them for a week and while I am forever grateful to Jack - and you - for taking me in, I don't want to make someone uncomfortable in their own space. With their own friends. And I know I make you uncomfortable. Or at least make you upset."

Vlad waves his hands harder before he scowls, "So…so, what? You're just a-a good Samaritan? A relationship….martyr?"

"You are so dramatic, jeez. Have you always been like this?" At least Danny knows Vlad is somewhat the same, "Look, I'm just trying to make you comfortable in your own space."

"Why?! I am nothing but nasty to you!"

"Because-" I want to protect you from that future that screws you over so magnificently – "I want to be your friend and you catch more flies with honey than with vinegar. Trust me, I could be just as sarcastic and biting as you, I have it in me but that would just make you more angry."

Vlad's expression falters from anger to shock to confusion before it settles on blank. He slams his binder shut and stands up with it in his hands.

Danny sputters, "What – where are -"

Vlad's stare is cold and Danny doesn't like that. He likes it better when Vlad is glaring at him.

"I don't want to be your friend, okay?" Vlad says, voice calm, "It's not going to happen. Ever."

Vlad turns towards his bedroom door and Danny jumps up, frustrated. They'd been getting along fine! Okay, a little bumpy but fine overall.

"Wait, I don't understand-" Danny grabs Vlad's arm, trying to get him to stay and talk and tell him why.

But the second Danny grabs Vlad, the scientist has a visceral reaction. He spins around and slams his hands into Danny's chest. It doesn't push Danny away any but Danny lets go from pure shock.

"Don't touch me!" Vlad yells, startling Danny enough to take a step back.

There's a split second where they both take in what's just happened. Vlad looks scared. So scared and it's all because Danny touched him. He hadn't even been rough.

Danny considers, for a moment, his more than human strength but brushes that aside. Vlad's words…he's afriad of touch…or perhaps just uninvited touch? But why would he care...

Danny remembers how awkward Vlad had looked when he'd brought up his father. How he'd pulled into himself.

"I'm sorry." Danny looks away from Vlad, "I-"

He can't even breathe. He'd known Vlad ten years and suddenly it's like there's this whole new side to him…

This horrible new facet Danny didn't know about.

With another apology, Danny practically vaults over the little table and he's out the door before Vlad can move. He's down the hall and out of sight before he turns himself intangible and disappears to find somewhere quiet to think.

* * *

"Danny, wait!" Vlad races out into the hallway to stop Danny but stops short when he sees no one in the hall whatsoever. He deflates, disappointed and frustrated. Vlad hadn't meant to lash out like that. To snap at Danny. He's usually so much better than that…it's just…Danny…

Something about him makes him so mad…

He storms back inside and slams the door, frustrated more with himself than with anything. Why did he have to freak out like that? Why did his stupid brain have to – to think his father was behind him?

If he could growl, he would.

But he can't so he mutters under his breath, cursing as he slams his blinder down and sits on the couch with his head in his hands. After a few moments of collecting his thoughts, Vlad opens up his binder and gets back to work.

It all goes so much smoother with Danny's method and it kills him to admit that. It's like Danny took this entire thing and turned it into layman's terms which Vlad has never needed because he's usually so good with math. But, that's to be expected since Professor Young was praising Danny the other day. He buries himself in his homework, going solidly for another two hours before there's a knock at the door. It's loud, startling Vlad just a bit but he just sighs and goes to answer the door.

Jack has his own key so he wouldn't need to knock. Even if his hands were full or if he'd left his key, he'd have yelled through the door. Maddie has a softer knock, even if it's still loud. Other than them, no one else comes here, not even Dean, Harriet, or Jenny.

Which just leaves Danny.

He opens the door, sarcastic quip on his lips, "That was qu-" he stops short when he sees that it is, in fact, not Danny.

In the doorway stands a wall of a man, bigger than Jack and made of solid muscle. His honey-brown eyes look disinterested and his expression screams absolute boredom. He's beyond intimidating and Vlad's first thought is to slam the door shut and lock it.

Instead, he asks, "Can I help you?"

The stranger holds out a package he'd been holding under his arm, "This is for Danny."

Vlad blinks before he scowls, looking down at the large package. Danny had just complained about how everyone he knew is gone. How does this guy know Danny?

"How do you know Danny?" he squints, looking back at the box, "What's in the box?"

"I don't know him and I don't really care what's in the box." He pushes the package into Vlad's arms and Vlad nearly drops it. He hadn't been expecting it to be that heavy, despite the large size, "The package is from T.K. I'm just the assistant."

The stranger turns and walks away, hands in his pockets,

"Wait, who is T.K.?" Vlad looks after him but he just keeps moving, disappearing down the stairs.

Frustrated, Vlad moves back inside his dorm and closes the door behind him. He puts the package on the table and glares at it.

A voice in the back of his head – which sounds an awful lot like his sister – tells him to leave it alone. It's not his package. Danny deserves his privacy.

But he grabs his keys and stabs through the tap before opening the box.

Inside the box sits…another box. It looks like a fancy briefcase. Upon closer inspection, Vlad discovers that it's a safety box. Fire proof and water proof. His mother has one just like it with all of their sensitive information inside of it. Birth certificates, passports, social security numbers...that sort of thing.

Vlad tries to open it but it's locked with a four digit code. Vlad sighs and lowers it back into the box.

Had Danny ordered it? Was T.K. a friend of his? Was he lying about his friends and family being dead? Why would he, though? Perhaps T.K. was some new acquaintance that Danny hadn't mentioned. More importantly, why was Danny having packages sent here? Had Danny given his dorm as a drop of point?

Vlad sits down and sighs, going back to his homework and waiting for Danny to come back so he can ask him about the stranger and the box. It's a little more difficult with the box preoccupying his mind – it's still leagues easier than this morning thanks to Danny.


	12. Chapter 12

Danny yawns as he comes in to work Saturday morning. He's tired and aching but he has work to do.

After his little incident with Vlad, Danny had taken off and found himself in a clearing in the park. It's not a manmade clearing but more of a natural one, with trees surrounding it from all sides. It had almost felt life a safe haven, a kind of…retreat. It had felt so comforting that he'd sat down and just watched the sky.

Danny spent all night thinking about Vlad and what his past was really like. How he's only seen one glimpse and a lot of…bias, one sided stories. His view of Vlad had been pretty…well, prejudice.

He'd spent all night there, too afraid of going back and _talk_ to Vlad.

Morning had come all too quickly for Danny and he'd had to go in to work tired. Worse than that, Danny had to go to work without his uniform which Hal takes notice of almost immediately.

"Where the hell is your uniform, Danny?"

Danny winces at Hal's tone and smiles, tired, "Uh, I kind of got into a fight with the guy who's letting me crash at his place and I left without taking my bag."

Hal frowns, looking upset and angry.

Before he can say anything, however, a middle aged woman comes out from the kitchen with Lisa. Her hair is brown with hints of silver, showing her age. She has kind eyes and she almost reminds Danny of a grandma.

Lisa notices Danny and smiles, "Hey, Danny. Martha, this is the guy we were telling you about."

"Oh goodness," Martha moves around the counter and comes closer to Danny, "Honey, you never told me he was so adorable!"

She takes Danny's face into her hands and squishes it, "It's so nice to finally meet you, Danny."

Danny blushes, embarrassed, "You must be Martha. It's nice to finally meet you, ma'am."

"Oh, you're so polite, too!" She gushes, "I bet the girls tip you wonderfully."

"Unfortunately, he's out of uniform so he can't wait tables." Hal frowns, crossing his arms.

"Nonsense." Martha huffs, "We can just fudge the rules for today."

She grabs the collar of Danny's white button up over shirt and straightens it out before buttoning it up, "We just give him an apron and he acts like nothing's wrong. No one will mind."

Hal sighs as she finishes Danny's shirt as he agrees, "Alright, dear."

Danny feels a little special and he preens before they set up and begin their work day. Aside from Danny's uniform mishap, the day runs smoothly. They open at eight and the usual breakfast rush comes and goes without any incidents. It goes so smoothly that Danny doesn't notice Jenny is late until she comes in an hour after her shift starts, face flushed and panting as she ties her apron strings.

He would have brushed off her red face as exertion from running if her eyes weren't red. He's instantly upset and he's glad that he's just dropped off the only order going out at the moment.

Danny follows Jenny into the kitchen to find her washing her hands at the sink, "Hey, Jenny, is everything o-"

"I'm fine." She cuts him of, voice clipped.

"Uh…o…kay? Sorry? I was just-"

"Don't. I'm a grown up, Danny. I don't need you worrying about me."

Okay, what the hell? He didn't do anything to deserve that tone she's using.

"Right. Sorry. Won't bother you." He frowns, turning around and huffing as he leaves the kitchen to check on the tables.

' _Calm down. Don't want to burn two bridges in twenty four hours. Especially since Jenny is the closest thing you have to a real friend.'_ Danny thinks to himself.

While he does get along with Dean really well, he talks to Jenny more. And about more stuff. She just makes him feel better about himself. Most of the time. She usually is so happy and bubbly and she laughs at all of his stupid jokes….

Danny sighs, deep and weary, as his agitation at Jenny dissipates.

When his break rolls around at two, he's barely said a word to Jenny after she snapped at him. She'd snapped at Lisa, too, but Lisa had kept her mouth shut and walked away like Danny did.

Overall, it's very tense for the workers in the diner and the day's only half over.

His break doesn't seem long enough and all too long as he sits at the counter just watching people. Danny sees a small group come in and assumes they're all together until a brunet man spots Jenny and walks over to her and the group says nothing. Jenny, however, nearly screams when she sees him.

"What are you doing here?!" She scowls, not bothering to hide her anger.

"You left in the middle of our conversation." He looks constipated as he tries to keep his anger in check.

"No, I ended our _argument_ and came to work. There's nothing for us to talk about, alright?"

"I'm not leaving until we talk about this." He shoves his hands into his pockets as he glares at her.

Everything about this guy reminds Danny of the bullies back at his high school. The ones who overcompensate and don't take no for an answer.

"Fine." Jenny snaps, pulling off her apron and throwing it down on the counter before calling out to the kitchen, "Hal, I'm taking my break!"

"Whoa, whoa!" Lisa throws her hands up as if to say 'what the fuck', "Danny's taking _his_ break. You know the rules, only one of us at a time."

"It's cool, really." Danny smiles, standing up. Jenny looks torn over going but Danny just waves her off, "Seriously. It's fine. Just say my breaks over and go."

Jenny mouths a thank you before leaving out the front door with the angry man behind her.

Lisa just shakes her head and looks at Danny, "You're way too nice, Danny. She's been a butt all day and you give her part of your break?"

Danny shrugs, "She's allowed to have a bad day."

"She's not allowed to take it out on you." Lisa frowns, "She better apologize."

Danny doesn't say anything as Lisa heads into the kitchen. He just sighs and gets back to work. Seven different groups come in and it keeps Danny and Lisa fairly busy.

He doesn't really think about Jenny again until Martha calls Danny into the kitchen.

"What's up, boss?" Danny smiles at the older woman.

"I hate to ask but…could you go fetch Jenny?" She sighs, "I don't want to be that person but she'd been out there for a little over an hour, arguing with that guy. He's not the best character…if you get what I mean."

"Oh, yeah, no problem." Danny smiles and heads back out of the kitchen.

He dumps his apron behind the counter and heads out the front door. Jenny and her friend aren't in front of the restaurant but Danny can hear them arguing over in the outdoor dining area.

Hal had said that the area isn't really used because there's never enough customers but Danny thinks he just doesn't want to deliver to outside.

Danny heads around to the side of the building and spots Jenny. Their arguing stops immediately when Danny rounds the corner.

"What do you want, jackass?"

"What is wrong with you?" Jenny snaps at him, defending Danny.

"It's fine," Danny waves her off, "Look, Jenny-"

"We're having a conversation here, asshole. Go back inside before I make you."

Danny is instantly wary. Not for himself but for Jenny. Why is she even talking to this asshole?

"Okay, first off, chill, dude. I'm just here to relay a message from our boss," Danny holds up his hands in an attempt to pacify the guy, "Martha says you either have to take the rest of the day off or some back inside and work."

Jenny sighs and nods, "Alright, I'll be right in."

"Jenny, it's been over an hour." Danny frowns.

She looks at her watch and cringes, "Oh man, it has. Alright. Look, just…go home, alright?"

She turns and moves to head back into the diner but the asshole gets pissed.

"That's it? Go home? And what? Forget about it?"

"Yes, Mike, forget about it." She waves him off, "I don't want to get in more trouble at work. Come on, Danny."

Well, that explains a _lot_. Mike. Her shitty ex.

Before he can move, Mike is stepping forward and grabbing Jenny's arm, forcing her to stop.

"This is the pansy who told you to dump me?"

Danny frowns, "Rude. I'm standing right here, man."

"Leave me alone!" Jenny snaps, trying to pull her arm out of Mikes' grip, "I wanted something more than you were giving me. More than what you were even _willing_ to give me. And I haven't been happy for a long time. I wasn't happy way before I even met Danny."

Mike pulls Jenny closer by the grip he has on her arm and she lets out a startled noise. Immediately, Danny shoves himself between Jenny and Mike before he grabs Mike's wrist.

"Let go of her." His voice is calm but firm, leaving no room for argument from anyone with any intelligence.

"Why don't you back off, man. She's my girlfriend. This has nothing to do with you."

"I broke up with you, Michael." Jenny glares, finally pulling hard enough to free her hand.

She hides behind Danny as Danny moves to stand between her and Mike. He obviously doesn't like that if the glare he levels Danny is any indicator.

"Move." Mike snaps, "Or I'll _make_ you."

"Try to touch her and I hurt you." Danny glares, "Just turn around and walk away."

"Piss off!" Mike tries to push Danny off to the side.

Danny had seen it coming and braced himself, not moving an inch when Mike pushes him. All Mike really succeeds in doing is push himself back a few inches. Danny frowns and steps forward, crowding in on Mike and forcing him to back up.

"You going to let him act like a dick to me?" Mike glares at Jenny over Danny's shoulder.

"You're the one being a dick, Michael." Jenny frowns, looking nervous.

"Take a hint, Mike. She doesn't want you." Danny frowns.

Mike doesn't say anything. He just stands there, glaring at Danny.

Danny turns and looks at Jenny, nodding towards the diner. Jenny nods back and the two head inside.

There's the sound of rapid footsteps and Danny turns just in time for Mike's fist connect to Danny's jaw. The Halfa stumbles back a step before catching his footing.

"Oh my god, Mike!" Jenny shouts, freaking out.

Danny reaches up and puts his hand up to his jaw. It hurts but Danny can tell it will heal before the bruise can show. There's not blood anywhere so he's not going to have to worry about anyone fussing over him.

"This jackass is trying to steal you from me!" Mike shouts.

By now, the patrons of the diner have noticed what's going on outside. Lisa comes outside right as Mike takes another swing at Danny.

This time, Danny knows he's coming.

Danny grabs Mike's wrist and strikes out with his leg, knocking Mike off his feet. Mike's back hits the floor with a hard thud. His wrist is still in Danny's grip and the Halfa uses his foot to roll Mike over onto his stomach. From there it's easy for Danny to pin Mike's arm against his own back and kneel on the brunet's back, pushing a groan from the brunet.

"Get off of me!" Mike groans, struggling.

"Calm down and I will." Danny retorts.

"Fuck you!" Mike keeps struggling so Danny pushes his arm up higher.

"No need to get nasty." Danny looks up at Jenny, making sure he didn't accidentally hit her or something, "You okay?"

"I should be asking _you_ that!" Jenny frets, "He hit you!"

"It barely hurt." Danny shrugs, "I've had worse."

"That doesn't make me feel better, Danny!"

Lisa comes over then with Hal, who she'd run back inside to get, "What is going _on_ here?"

Jenny shuffles, a bit scared of being scolded by Hal who looks…way beyond pissed, "Mike…he us…Mike got mad and he hit Danny so Danny," she weakly gestures over at where Danny has Mike pinned to the floor.

Hal frowns, "Do I need to call the cops?"

Danny looks at Jenny before looking down at Mike, "Do you want to get arrested for assault or are you going to walk away and leave Jenny alone?"

Mike makes a frustrated noise before he snaps, "Fine! Just get off!"

Danny frowns but carefully gets up off of Mike and steps in front of Jenny so Mike can't jump at her. Even though Danny doesn't think he'd do it, he can't be too careful.

Mike stands, holding his shoulder with his hand. He glares at Danny and everyone who is watching through the diner's windows.

For about two seconds, Danny is afraid he's actually going attack but Mike just scowls harder before turning around and fleeing.

"Okay, who wants to explain what happened here?" Hal frowns, "In detail this time?"

"I – I was…Mike came and-" Jenny looks like she's going to cry.

Danny takes over, feeling bad for Jenny, "Mike was being a crybaby because Jenny dumped him. He came here to try and harass Jenny into taking him back. When I came out to call her back in, he thought I was trying to 'steal' her."

Jenny nods, "I'm so sorry, Hal, I didn't mean for this to happen. I broke up with him two days ago. He wasn't supposed to come here! I told him I never wanted to see him again!"

"It's fine, Jenny." Hal raises his hand, stopping Jenny from apologizing again, "Did you take him back?"

Jenny frowns, confused, but shakes her head, "No. Never again."

"Good. I'm glad. That asshole has made you cry enough." He turns to Danny, "And you."

For about two seconds Danny thinks he's going to get lectured but Hall continues, "Good job, Dannt. Most guys would have duked it out with him. Where'd you learn to subdue people like that?"

Danny awkwardly scratches the bridge of his nose, "My mom taught me, actually."

Hal nods before gesturing towards the diner, "Alright. Back to work with the both of you."

Lisa and Hal head back inside. Danny and Jenny follow at a slower pace.

"You going to be okay?" Danny asks. Even if they'd bumped heads, he does care about her.

"Y-yeah. Totally." She smiles, "I'll be okay if he comes back around."

"You sure? I could walk you back to your dorm after work to -"

Jenny quickly cuts him off with a relieved voice, "Ohgodyes, please."

Danny smiles, a little sad that it had even come to this regarding Mike but understanding. He's had to play body guard for Sam and Jazz and even a number of not-friends from Amity Park. Guys in general seem to take rejection very poorly.

Especially guys like Mike. Entitled and, well, frat boy types. Dash had been like that back in high school before he met Jazz and she had knocked him down a few pegs with her psychology. He'd changed for the better. Even if most guys don't. He is so much more aware of just how entitled he'd been.

Had been? Will be?

Time travel really messes with his tenses.

Danny shakes his head and holds open the door for Jenny. They head back inside and get back to work. It goes by surprisingly quickly. Surprisingly so, considering how the day had started off very slowly.

After clean-up, Jenny and Danny walk towards the campus. Jenny and Danny are both very quiet during the walk.

Jenny is the one to break the silence as they turn the corner, "You look tired. I'm sorry."

"No," Danny laughs, shaking his head, "Not your fault. I didn't sleep last night."

Jenny looks at him, disbelieving before he asks, "How are you alive?"

"I drank like four cups of coffee at the diner?" Danny shrugs.

"Danny, oh my god, go to bed."

"Meh, I'll sleep when I'm dead." Danny jokes to himself.

"If you keep this up much longer, you will be." Jenny frowns.

Danny snorts, "I'm _fine_. Besides, I don't have a place to crash."

"What do you mean?" Jenny frowns, "Aren't you sleeping on Jack and Vlad's couch?"

"Yeah but they're going out to do 'research' and Vlad doesn't trust me in the dorm alone and I'm not sure I'm allowed near Vlad anymore." Danny sighs.

"Did something happen?" Jenny looks so very confused.

"Yeah, Vlad and I were…not hanging out but kind of just existing in the same room and we started talking. I thought it was really going well and then Vlad just…snapped. Tried to storm off and I tried to stop him to talk and – I don't know…I guess I scared him. I took off after that."

"Is that why you weren't in uniform? You didn't feel comfortable going back to get your bag?"

"Yeah," Danny sighs as they stop in front of Jenny's building, "Look, if Mike gives you any more problems…try to find me. I'll kick his ass for you."

Jenny stops and snorts, "Oh my god, Danny. You are sleep deprived and I was a huge jerk to you – which I am _so_ sorry for, by the way – and here you are just 'let me protect and care for you'! Do you _know_ how great you are?"

Danny blushes and looks away "No, no. I just – I like helping people."

It's his ghostly obsession of sorts.

"There comes a point where helping someone goes from being a Good Samaritan to being a Martyr."

The Halfa is going to retort but the door to the building opens and Maddie comes out of the building and spots them.

"Danny! There you are!" She waves, running up, "Where have you been? We've been looking for you all day!"

"At work?" Danny shrugs.

"Well, yeah, okay but – Vlad said you took off yesterday and never came back."

"Yeah," Danny drags out the word.

"You're still coming with us, right?"

There's his moms' one track mind. Ghosts, ghosts, ghosts.

"I don't know…I didn't sleep last night and I-"

"Please, Danny? You promised! Are you flaking?"

"No, I _agreed_."

"Oh, good, you're still up for it!" Maddie purposefully misunderstands his words and links her arm with Danny's before walking off down the street.

Behind them, Jenny shouts out, "Maddie! Not cool!"

Danny doesn't know how long they'll be out but _Christ_ it's going to be a long night.


	13. Chapter 13

Danny and Maddie end up walking fifteen minutes away from the dorm to whatever house they'd picked to explore tonight. Danny is tired but he knows he had only a one percent chance of actually getting out of this. Even if he did he'd have to suffer through Jack's disappointed look.

He hates his father's disappointed look.

After a bit of silent walking, Danny spots Vlad and Jack in the distance. They're both tense and their harsh whispers quickly cut off when they spot Danny and Maddie in the distance.

"Mads! You found him!" Jack shouts.

Maddie only replies when the two of them get close enough that she doesn't have to shout, "He was at work all day. I only just happened to catch him when he walked Jenny home."

Jack frowns, "Did you stay with Dean last night?"

Danny doesn't want to lie so he shrugs and says, "Good guess."

Which it is. He probably could have gone to Dean's house but he hadn't. It hadn't even crossed his mind, really.

"You should have called when you got there. Do you know how stressed I was, thinking you'd slept on a park bench or something?"

Danny blinks, a bit confused, "Uh, sorry?"

"Ah, it's alright. I'm just glad you're safe and not dead in a ditch somewhere, right Vladdie?"

Vlad resolutely does _not_ look at Danny and makes a gruff noise.

Jack continues on, "We were really worried about you, don't let Vlad tell you otherwise."

Vlad rolls his eyes and Danny keeps his eyes on Jack, "I'm sure you were, Jack. Sorry for worrying you."

"It's okay."

And just like that, Jack seems to have forgotten about Danny disappearing all night. Jack pulls the duffle bag off from where it sits over his shoulder and tosses it to Danny who catches it.

"What? I'm the pack mule now?" Danny teases.

"Yup!" Maddie sounds so chipper as she walks up the yard to the front door of the house.

Danny wants to make a comment about breaking and entering but the door just opens so either they picked the lock before Danny got here or no one bothered to lock the door to the empty house when leaving.

Danny slings the bag over his shoulder and shrugs as Jack joins Maddie. He's about to follow after them when Vlad blocks his path.

"What?" Danny frowns. Part of him wants to ask if Vlad is going to start another argument but he keeps his mouth shut.

The last thing he needs is a reason to start yelling. He's tired and if Vlad starts something, well…Danny hasn't slept enough to play nice.

"Jack was worried about you. You should have called or -"

"Or what? Come back with my tail between my legs because I fucked up without knowing how it is I fucked up?" Definitely too tired to play nice, "No offense but I'd rather spend the night in the woods again, okay? I mean, I thought it was going well but evidently _not_ and then you just -"

Vlad cuts Danny off, stage whispering as if there are people around who can hear them, "I'm sorry, okay?! I – I shouldn't have blown up on you and…and…"

Vlad looks behind himself, towards the house, and Danny follows his gaze to find Jack and Maddie watching. They have the decency to look ashamed when caught and they retreat further inside.

When Danny is sure they aren't butting in, he turns to Vlad, "Look, if Jack asks I'll tell him you apologized but just stop this. I don't want some half-hearted apology just to make someone else happy. It's insulting."

"That's not-"

Danny cuts Vlad off, "It is."

"Maybe, but you could at least accept it."

"Accept what? That you're apologizing because Jack wants you to? That you're _not_ sorry and you _don't_ care?"

"Yes-No!" Vlad groans, "Why are you being so obtuse about this?"

"Because _honey's_ not getting me anywhere so maybe a little _shit_ is what I need."

" _What_?" Vlad's tone is confused and incredulous.

Danny shakes his head, "Just. Forget it. I didn't exactly sleep last night, I'm…I'm just cranky." He turns and heads towards the house to meet up with Jack and Maddie, "Let's just get this over with."

"You said you slept over at Dean's." Vlad frowns at Danny's back but follows him in.

"No. Jack asked if I had and I said -"

"Good guess." Vlad parrots. Danny isn't sure what the tone means so he leaves it alone.

"And it was. Not what happened, but it was a good guess." Danny pushes the door to close it behind himself and it nearly hits Vlad who is right behind him.

Vlad just glares but doesn't say anything.

The inside of the house is dark but Danny can see just fine. Vlad, however, can't see much around himself so he reaches into the duffle slung over Danny's shoulder and pulls out a flashlight.

Danny wants to make a sarcastic comment about asking before touching but he doesn't want to make things worse than they already are and…well, the only other options are either making a dirty joke about touching or keeping quiet. So Danny keeps quiet.

Best not to go in that direction. Not when he's probably not thinking right.

Danny can see Jack off to the right, looking around, and Maddie off in a room to the left. Both of them are looking around, trying to look inconspicuous. Part of Danny wonders if they were eavesdropping again but he brushes it off.

Vlad walks closer to the stairs leading upwards and Danny follows after him, watching the warm light cast dark, ominous shadows along the walls and the stairs. There's a large window on the wall where the U stairs break in half and through it Danny can see dead tree branches and a clear shot of the waxing gibbous moon.

He can't believe he knows that but…well, Sam had taken up an interest and Danny had found it fairly interesting. It also kind of pertained to his 'extracurricular activities'. Ghosts seem to be more active towards the full moon.

Kind of like werewolves.

"It's so dark in here." Maddie complains, coming over to the main hall to stand with Danny and Vlad.

"So turn on a light." Is Danny's sarcastic reply.

"There's no power. We tried." Jack cuts in before Maddie can.

"There's probably power. I mean, there was a 'Sold' sign outside, right?" Danny says.

"None of the lights work." Vlad crosses his arms, shining the light over at Danny.

"Did any of you check the breaker?" Danny asks.

There's a resounding silence that tells Danny that they did not, in fact, try to use the breaker to get the power back.

"But…it's not a haunted house if there are lights." Jack pouts.

"A ghost isn't going to be scared off by a few lights, Jack." Danny sighs, "The breaker's usually in the basement or the laundry room. I'm going down to fix it because I'd rather not stumble around in the dark, okay?"

The other three agree and Jack trades Danny a flashlight for the duffle.

"What's this for?" Danny asks, just looking at it.

"How tired _are_ you?" Vlad asks, squinting at Danny.

Danny blinks at Vlad before he remembers that he sees pretty freaking great in the dark and humans _don't._

"Right. Basement. No windows. It's dark. Got it." Danny looks around at the other three, "I'm going alone, aren't I?"

"Yes." "Oh yeah." "Pretty much."

Danny rolls his eyes and heads over to the door next to the stairs. He heads down the stairs to the basement in order to find the breaker and get the damn lights on. Even if he can see better than a human in the dark, his sight still isn't perfect.

As if to prove his point, not three steps away from the stairs, his foot catches on something and he trips. He manages to catch himself before he falls and he looks back and down to see some old, heavy wooden train just lying on the floor.

"That's just plain unsettling." He mutters out loud to himself before turning back around and looking for that breaker.

He spots it at the other end of the basement, not far from the pipe for a washing machine. He opens up the cover and finds all of the breaker switches are off. He clicks each one back to the on position and calls out.

"Try the lights now!"

There's a bit of a pause before the lights in the main room come on, partially illuminating the basement. There's a bit of cheering before Danny can hear them shuffling about.

Danny smiles, dropping light and clicking it off. He closes the breaker panel and freezes. On the wall is the silhouette of a person.

Right next to Danny's shadow.

He can _hear_ the others upstairs.

" _Why did you leave?"_

Danny gasps, whipping around at the familiar voice only to find nothing behind him. He shakily lets go of the breath he'd been holding, noticing that it looks like a puff of cold air which only means one thing.

 _Ghost._

Suddenly, the breaker behind him explodes. Not literally, but it shorts, sending sparks everywhere and making Danny jump away. The illumination from upstairs is gone and Danny brings up his flashlight, not wanting to strain his eyes if he can help it.

The flashlight flickers on and Danny screams, throwing himself back as he drops the light. It hits the floor about the same time Danny does and it rolls around revealing nothing in front of Danny.

Footsteps thunder down from the main room and Maddie's light easily finds Danny in the center of the basement, looking like he'd…well, seen a ghost.

"Danny, are you alright?" She asks, rushing over to him.

He just laughs, fake and purely to reassure Maddie that he's alright, "Yeah. I…I tripped on some old wooden train. Fell flat on my ass."

Maddie laughs, obviously relieved, "Are you okay? You're not hurt?"

"Only my pride." He stands up and picks up the flashlight.

The light shakes in his hands so he points it at the floor so maybe Maddie won't notice, "Where are Vlad and Jack?"

"When the lights went out they deemed it a lost cause and went upstairs. I think Jack wants to meddle more in what happened between you and Vlad."

"Yeah…probably." Danny takes a deep breath, "Come on, lets got meet up with them so he can't meddle too much."

Maddie takes the lead and Danny has to take a few more deep breaths before he can follow her.

 _What the hell was that?_

 _That voice…that face…_

"Jazz…" Danny's heart clenches at his sister's name comes out.

Why would her ghost be here? It couldn't be her…it had to be a trick.

"What was that?" Maddie looks behind her as they climb the stairs.

"Nothing. Don't worry about it."

Maddie just laughs, amused, "Sure you didn't hit your head?"

"I landed on my ass, Mads." Weird to call your mom by a nickname but whatever, "My tailbone is what hurts most now."

"Alright," it's not agreement, it's saying 'I'll let you believe I believe you'.

Danny rolls his eyes and follows Maddie up the main stairwell to the second floor. He's about halfway down the upstairs hall when he hears Vlad and Jack talking.

"I'm just saying…he's – he's weird, okay? His story is bogus and I don't trust-"

"Maybe you don't but _I_ do!" Jack isn't exactly trying to keep his voice down, even if Vlad is.

"Why? You barely know him?"

"He doesn't lie, he's just a good person, Vlad. He hasn't given me a reason _not_ to trust him."

"You don't even know his last name or where he-" Vlad's voice cuts off as Maddie and Danny walk through the open doorway.

Vlad has the decency to look ashamed when he realizes that Danny and Maddie heard him and he looks away, down at the floor where his flashlight is shining.

"The fuse box lit up like the fourth of July. Can't fix it." Well, he hadn't really tried but they don't really need to know that.

"Then he fell on his ass." Maddie laughs, trying to lighten the mood.

Jack laughs and Danny can see Vlad's lips twitch but he doesn't smile.

"I tripped, okay? Sue me for tripping _in the dark_."

Jack just gives off a weak laugh before looking between Danny and Vlad. He looks a bit uncomfortable and Danny can understand why.

Jack opens his mouth to talk but Danny beats him to it, "I have a question. Why are we even here? I mean, what makes you think this house is haunted?"

Jack forgets about whatever awkwardness there is and his expression lights up like a Christmas tree, "Lots, actually! Multiple people have died in this house and there have been tons of ghost sightings here! Mostly people talking to or seeing their dead loved ones. Parents, siblings, lovers, all that jazz."

Danny tries not to flinch at that phrase but Vlad seems to notice. Thankfully, he doesn't say anything as Jack pulls out a manila folder from the duffle. It's definitely seen better days. It's all crinkled and it rolls at the edges.

"This is the file we put together on this place." Jack tries to juggle the light and the papers inside the folder to no avail.

Danny just sighs and takes the folder out of Jacks hands and puts the flashlight in his mouth, angling it to shine on the papers as he opens them up.

"Okay, so, turns out, way back in, like, the late eighteen hundreds, there was this family whose son died of this freak accident. After that, there was a lot of odd happenings in the house." Jack starts, looking excited.

Danny looks at a few printouts of old newspapers. They must have photocopied them from the library or something.

He really misses the internet right about now.

Jack continues on, "Some old maid goes nuts and claims the house is haunted. But not by the first kid. By _her_ kid who died by some accident."

Danny tries to talk around the flashlight, "Sho 'id 'e 'ie 'ere?"

"What?" Maddie frowns.

Surprisingly, it's Vlad who translates, "He asked if the maids' kid died here."

"Oh, hm. I don't know." Maddie looks over at Jack who shrugs.

Danny gives a disapproving look. That was a lead they would have followed up if they were older.

"I hate to admit it but he brings up a good point. I mean, what are the chances the maid's dead kid and the owners' dead kid are haunting the same place?"

"Minimal. At best. We'll have to look into that at lunch tomorrow." Maddie hums.

"Library's closed on Sunday, Maddie." Vlad reminds her.

"Rats. Okay, Monday."

Danny rolls his eyes and goes back to the file. There are multiple photocopies of newspapers and some chicken scratch notes.

He grabs one and holds it up to Vlad.

"Oh, that." Danny's surprised when he just gives the information without any malice of sarcasm, "Apparently the mother of the first kid was psychic and claimed that this place was inhabited by a malicious spirit. But no one had been injured or even come close to being injured so people thought she was crazy."

"That's where it gets interesting." Maddie turns to Danny, looking excited, "Mom gets called crazy for claiming to be psychic and all that 'danger' stuff. Husband doesn't institutionalize her, he drugs her up and keeps her at home. Next thing you know, she's freaking out about all these different things, raving about how they need to get out of the house or they're going to die."

' _Their library keeps excellent newspaper records, apparently,'_ Danny thinks to himself.

"Next thing you know, maid drops dead in the living room. Heart attack."

"Which isn't unusual." Vlad inputs, "Except the psychic mother claims she saw _her_ son – the maid's son - kneeling by the maid when she ran in."

"No one else saw him." Jack grins, "Spooky, eh?"

Danny shrugs. That doesn't explain why he saw Jazz.

"Okay, maybe this is more your style." Jack pilfers through the papers and pulls another paper to the top, "After the maid dies, all these crazy things start happening around the house. Entire family ends up biting the dust. They all end up dying via some freak accident or they commit suicide. Makes the house nearly unsellable. It's like the place is cursed."

"I can see you're still not impressed." Maddie laughs, "Okay, well, between then and now, tons of people have died or reported strange sightings in this house. The reports are mostly from help, or technicians, or cleaners. People only here temporarily."

"Sho?" Danny frowns, light tilting downward.

" _So_ , all of these people who actually filed reports with, like, the newspaper or something _all_ claim to have seen dead loved ones." Maddie puts her hands on her hips and leans forward, as if miffed with how unimpressed Danny is.

"This place got a reputation for letting people see their dead loved ones." Jack smiles, "But it also has a reputation for being a death trap. I can't believe someone bought it."

 _Dead loved ones…_

"I shee." Danny frowns, closing the folder and pulling the flashlight out of his mouth, "Did you guys get blueprints for this house?" There's a long pause, "That's a no, huh?"

All three shake their head.

Danny sighs before handing Jack the manila folder, "Okay so, you think the ghost is…"

"The first little boy who died here." Jack answers.

"And the other dead loved ones show up because…" Danny trails off, hoping for theories.

"Uh…maybe this is a portal for ghosts to show up?" Maddie shrugs, "Danny, no one knows how the afterlife works. Maybe this place has some affinity with the dead?"

"I doubt it." Danny frowns, "It just doesn't make sense."

"That's what I said. That's why Jack insisted we come back here and check it out." Vlad crosses his arms.

' _Must kill him to agree with me.'_ Danny thinks.

"Okay, so you've been here before. See anything?" Danny asks.

"No. I didn't see anything but I thought I heard something upstairs right before we left last time," Maddie's voice is soft.

That's a start, "Where _didn't_ you guys explore last time?"

"There are a few locked doors up here." Jack shrugs, "And we never tried the basement last time. Mads was too scared."

Maddie rolls her eyes, telling Danny silently that it was Jack who was too scared, not her.

"Which doors are locked? Why not just bust your way in? I mean, this place is in shambles already." Danny asks.

"Well," Jack grins, "We tried. Doors are way too hard to get past."

"I doubt that." Danny turns and heads back out of the empty room, "I'll give it a try."

As he exits the room and turns towards the far end of the hall, his ghost sense goes off and he stops. The hairs on the back of his neck stand up and he turns around, holding his breath.

There, at the top of the stairs, stands Jazz. But it's not her. She looks…fuzzy. Her hair's too short, her shirt is the wrong shape. She doesn't have her wedding ring.

She mouths something but Dany can't catch it, even with his impeccable hearing.

Jack walks out of the room with Maddie and Vlad right behind him. When Danny can see the stairs again, Jazz is gone and he lets out a shaky sigh.

"Danny? What's up?" Maddie turns to look at the stairs, trying to see what he's looking at.

"Nothing…" he pauses before turning around, "Thought I saw something."

Jack points Danny across the hall to the door across from the room Jack and Vlad were in. Sure enough, the door doesn't budge, even if it's not locked.

Danny hands his light to Jack before bracing his shoulder against the door and pushing. At first, it doesn't budge, but after a few seconds it groans and yields, slowly. As soon as it starts giving, Jack shoves his and Danny's lights into Maddie's hands and moves forward to help Danny, managing to push the door open most of the way.

The thing blocking the door is an overturned bookcase. But not a large one, more so one made for kids. About thigh high and it looks like it was brightly colored at one point. Now it's faded and covered in dust.

"Man, how strong are you?" Jack asks, "Vladdie and I tried that and we got nowhere."

"Mmm…pretty strong." Danny mutters, looking around the room.

Maddie hands Jack and Danny their flashlights back and says, "Danny, help me get the other room open? Vlad, Jack, you check this room out."

"Okay, coming." Danny moves out of the way so Jack and Vlad can get inside the room before he follows Maddie down the hall.

Danny turns the nob and the door won't open. Just like the other one. He braces his shoulder against the door and pushes. But this one is more stuck than the first.

"I'm sorry about Vlad." Maddie says, interrupting the silence.

"Huh?" He barely replies, pushing against the door harder. The middle of the door bends but the top and the bottom both don't budge.

"He was talking about you." Maddie frowns.

Danny stops pushing with a huff, "I'm used to it."

"That doesn't make it right." Maddie frowns.

"This door isn't opening."

"Danny, don't change the subject-"

"I think there's a deadbolt inside. On the top and the bottom of the door."

"Why would a bedroom door have deadbolts _inside_? And more than one." Maddie frowns, looking at the door.

"Jack!" Danny calls.

"Yeah?" Comes echoing back.

"Is there a deadbolt on the inside of that door?" Danny picks up his foot and braces it against the door, leaning on it and making the door bend inward just a bit.

The wood is rotting, apparently. The house should have been condemned, not sold.

There's a bit of silence before Jack calls out, "No! But there is one outside!"

"What?" Danny frowns, turning back to face the hallway, "That's even weirder…"

"So…someone wanted to keep something _out_ of this room," she moves her flashlight from their door to the door down the hallway, "And something _in_ that one."

Danny frowns, turning back to the door, "Back up, Maddie."

Maddie does so, "What are you" – Danny kicks out the center of the door, sending chunks of wood flying inward – "Danny!"

The Halfa pulls his foot out before kicking away more of the door, creating a hole in the center of it large enough for them to climb through without kicking away the entire door.

"You guys okay?" Jack sticks his head out of the doorway.

"We're fine!" Maddie huffs, "Danny just kicked in a door!"

"Awesome!" Maddie glares at Jack for his cheer.

"Want to head inside?" He asks Maddie.

"Yeah, no." Maddie shakes her head, "Why don't you go in and unlock the door for me, hm?" She smiles up at Danny who shakes his head and sighs.

Danny carefully moves through the hole in the door, one leg first before he gets his body and other leg through. He stands up straight and turns around, checking out what had stopped the door.

"I was right. Two serious deadbolts. Top and bottom. Looks like there's also one of those old chains on the door, too."

"Hurry up and undo them?" Maddie flashes the light through the hole in the door, looking at the room but still not climbing through.

"Yeah, gimme a sec." Danny reaches up, carefully undoing the top latch before squatting down and unlatching the one on bottom.

" _Danny._ "

The light stops moving and Danny freezes, about to unhook the chain.

"Maddie…tell me that was you."

"Danny," Maddie sounds a bit freaked out, looking through the hole that Danny had kicked through the door, "There's someone behind you."

Danny lets out a shaky breath and there's his ghost sense again.

He slowly turns around, shining the light through Jazz. Or what's supposed to be Jazz.

" _Danny_." her voice sounds wispy, like it's so far away, " _You left._ "

"Danny?" Danny vaguely hears the door open but the chain keeps it in place, "Danny!"

Danny registers there's a commotion outside but all he can look at is Jazz. At his sister. At what is supposed to be his sister.

"Who are you?" Danny scowls.

He'd been scared – startled, even – when Jazz had shown up in the basement but now that he's had time to think, he knows that this _isn't_ his sister. Couldn't be. His sister hasn't even been born yet, let alone died. And she wouldn't have any grudges with Danny since he wouldn't even be related to her. There's also no way she'd be here, in Wisconsin, waiting for him. She'd have sought him out.

Is this ghost like Amorpho? How would it know to mimic Jazz?

" _Don't you recognize me?_ " It tilts its head and frowns, " _Did you forget about me so soon, Danny?_ "

"You're not my sister…" Danny frowns.

There's a ruckus outside the door but it quickly ends.

The ghost is silent in front of him for a while and Danny wonders what's going through its head. He can't get far in his thoughts before the door slams open, snapping the chain and startling Danny so hard he turns to see what had caused the noise.

The ghost is solid for a moment before it vanishes. Danny's not sure if it just went invisible or if it went incorporeal and left the room.

"Jack! I told you not to!" Maddie sounds so frustrated, "We could have watched!"

"There was a ghost in here with Danny!" Jack goes about the room, trying to find it as if it's hiding like a child and Danny watches him.

"Yes, and you just scared it off!" She looks like she could rip her own hair out with her frustration, "The first real ghost we've ever seen and you _scared it off, Jack!_ "

Vlad remains outside the room, looking concerned and staying absolutely quiet.

"Maddie, it was alone with Danny! It could have hurt him!" Jack fires back, shoulders tense.

"It was just standing there, Jack! It was _talking_ to him! It knew his name! Do you have any idea what that means? It-"

"Why **did** it know your name?" Vlad interrupts. Danny can feel his scrutinizing gaze on his back, "You said you weren't from Wisconsin…"

Danny looks over at Vlad, "I'm not."

"Then how do you know some ghost here?"

Danny wonders what, exactly, Vlad is getting at, "I don't. It was…it looked like my sister."

"It called you by name. Are you sure it's not _really_ your sister? Maybe she followed you and -"

"Vlad!" Maddie moves between Danny and Vlad with her back to Danny, "What is wrong with you today?"

"No, go ahead. I want to hear whatever theory you were going to spit at me." Danny glares, "What, my sister died tragically and travelled _all_ the way from Amity Park to haunt this specific house and just wait for me to show up? That's an implausible coincidence considering this house was already haunted."

"So what do you think it is, hm?"

"I don't know!" Danny shouts, "But it's _not_ my sister."

"Then what is it?" Vlad demands, scowling at Danny.

"I just said I don't know!" Danny yells, "Maybe it mimics dead loved ones. I mean, that's what happened in all of those stories in your little file. People saw other dead people besides people who died in this house!"

"That makes no sense!"

"Right, cause people magically appearing where they have no business being makes _so much sense._ " Danny's tone is scathing. It does, really, because ghosts _can_ roam but not usually. They tend to pick a territory and stick to it except for rare exceptions. If it stayed here, it wouldn't let other ghosts in. And if they have a beef with one person, they follow them, not wait for them to show up at some specific location.

"Both of you stop it!" Maddie turns to glare at Danny, "This is ridiculous! We should be focusing on finding this ghost-"

"You have a one track mind, don't you?" Danny groans, running his hands through his bangs, turning to pace around the room, "Ghosts, ghosts, ghosts."

"Don't talk to her like that." Vlad snaps.

Danny turns back around to snap before he stops. He takes a deep breath and counts backwards from five.

"I'm sorry, Maddie." His voice is a little tight but he means it.

"It's…it's fine. You're right. I do tend to get tunnel vision." She doesn't sigh, it's more of a huff but not quite, "I just…it's late and we're all tired. Let's just keep that in mind, hm?"

"Maddie is right." Jack moves to stand beside Maddie, looking between Danny and Vlad, "Let's just try to figure this out and then we can go home."

Vlad crosses his arms and taps his foot, scowling, "Fine."

"Okay. Why did it show up now?" Maddie asks, as if expecting answers, "Why not appear earlier?"

"Maybe because Danny was alone?" Jack asks, "Maybe it wants one on one interaction?"

"I came back to get the light you forgot when I heard something last time," Maddie folds her arms over her chest, thinking, "I was alone then."

"Then why not get Danny when he was alone in the basement?" Vlad asks, still looking like he wants to argue, "He was way more cut off from us down there than up here. You were right outside the door and you could have gotten in at any time."

All three look at Danny and he just wants to sleep.

"I saw it. In the basement. That's why I screamed."

"You screamed cause you saw a ghost?" Vlad sneers.

"Yes. I turned around and there was my dead sister. Excuse me for freaking out." Danny scowls, "You don't exactly have to worry about that so-"

"Danny." Maddie's voice is a warning, almost sounding like his mom for a moment, but it quickly returns to normal, "Why didn't you say anything?"

"Because…" _It can't be her._ "I didn't…it's hard to talk about, okay?"

Danny looks away from all three of them. He wants to know what's going on but he can't exactly confront the ghost with the three of them here. Not honestly. He could perhaps make a clone but maintaining two conversations is hard when he does that.

"The only way to find out what's really going on is to talk to this thing." Maddie frowns, "Maybe we should all split up and try to talk to this thing."

"That's a bad idea." Danny shakes his head.

"Why is _that_?" Vlad snaps, "It's the only way this thing has shown up-"

"Because I have a feeling that those people who visited didn't just commit suicide." Danny groans, "Look, it's not my sister but it chose to look like her. It asked me things like 'Why did you leave us?' and 'Did you forget about us?'. I think this ghost is…is guilting people. And somehow it leads to suicide."

"None of us have anything to worry about then. It seems like you're the only one who has anything to be guilty about." Vlad scowls, "Maybe something to do with your family _mysteriously_ dying with no record."

"What the fuck are you implying, Vladimir?" Danny's voice goes cold, even to his own ears.

Vlad tenses and Danny isn't sure if it's his tone, his words, or his body language but Vlad seems to realize he's crossed a line.

"He's not implying anything." Jack interrupts but he hesitates before turning to look at Vlad, "Are you Vlad?"

There's an eerie silence as Vlad seems to weight his options. Eventually he looks away, "No."

Danny wants to strangle Vlad. The look on his face – like Danny is the one in the wrong – makes his blood boil.

"Okay, how about we split into groups of two and…look around the rest of the house." Maddie suggests, elbowing Jack before looking pointedly at Vlad.

It takes Jack a second before he nods and he moves over to Vlad, gesturing that the two of them leave with a thumb towards the door.

Vlad glances at Danny and sees the Halfa's expression. He quickly looks away, breaking eye contact and following Jack out of the room, leaving Maddie and Danny alone in the room.

It's oppressively silent before Maddie moves over to Danny, "You…uh, you okay?"

"No!" He wants to growl but he doesn't, "Who does he think he is? How dare he -"

"Danny, I know Vlad was out of line but please -"

"Please, what? Let him say those things to me? To insinuate that I -" His voice breaks and he hates it.

"No, I get it. Just – don't….don't threaten him, okay?" She fiddles with the light in her hands and looks down, "He doesn't – no one responds well to threats."

Danny squints, confused for a moment before it clicks, "I don't care who he's afraid of, Maddie. It gives him no right to be a dick."

"Danny, I know that -"

"Do you? Because you and Jack make excuse after excuse for him! He doesn't trust anyone but you and Jack and he can't make any friends if he's a dick like this! And I don't mean, oh no, he's a sarcastic asshole cause I know people like that who are likable. He's just an ass."

"He's not that bad, Danny."

"To you and Jack and _that's it._ What happens when you and Jack aren't there for him, huh? What happens when you two get married and move in together and have kids? You aren't going to have as much time for him and he's going to feel abandoned and betrayed and utterly _alone_ because he never learned how to be friends with anyone but you two!"

Maddie sputters for a solid fifteen seconds before she squeaks, "Jack and I aren't together!"

Danny stops and thinks about it.

And she's right. His parent's hadn't gotten together until after the accident. Until Vlad was in the hospital.

Which is over a year from now.

"Everyone can see you and Jack are…totally in love. I mean – I mean, come on, the faces you two make and – the _flirting_ is bad enough but you two often find excuses to be paired up and -" _Stop talking._

"We're not dating!" Maddie yells, quickly covering her mouth and looking at the door.

There's no other noise that might indicate that Vlad and Jack heard her.

She lets out a sigh of relief and as Danny points his light at her he realizes that she's blushing.

"Want to pretend we didn't have this conversation?" He'd let too much out about the future.

One _possible_ future…

"Yes, please." She groans, covering her face with both hands, one still holding her light.

"Okay." Danny sits down on the end of the bed before letting himself fall backwards, landing with a small puff of dust, "That was a bad idea."

Maddie laughs, "What were you expecting?"

"I'm not sure." He wants to frown but he laughs, "Not a large dust cloud."

"You're going to have to shower before bed."

"Like my night wasn't late enough as it was." Danny leaves the light on the bed and scrubs his hands over his face.

"Well, help me look around, we can get out of here faster." Maddie comes closer and nudges Danny's foot with her own.

Danny lets out a disgruntled groan, not wanting to move. Maybe laying down after almost forty hours of no sleep was a bad idea. He can't help how heavy his eyes feel. It's been a while since he's gone more than twenty four hours with no sleep.

"Don't make me get up." Danny grumbles, "Let me know if you find anything good."

Maddie frowns, sitting on the bed next to Danny, "Danny, don't fall asleep. This is a bad place to sleep."

Danny groans, covering his face, "Don't wanna."

Maddie groans, mocking Danny, "Come on, lazy bones. Up."

"Can I stay here? I don't want to see Vlad again." He crosses both arms over his face, hiding his eyes.

"I know…" She lets her body flop next to Danny, dust puffing up around her too.

Danny and Maddie both laugh.

"Didn't learn from my mistake?" He laughs, dropping his arms onto his stomach and looking at Maddie.

"Apparently not." She looks at Danny with a grin.

Danny looks up at the ceiling and lets the silence settle around them. He has no idea how he got here.

Well, that's not true…

He knows exactly how he got here, what lead up to these events, but he feels like it all happened so fast. Which is odd, because at some points, Danny couldn't get time to pass fast enough.

"I don't like when you get quiet, Danny."

He looks over at Maddie and frowns, a bit confused.

"Jack never shuts up and Vlad only speaks when he has something to say but you…you seem to…you go from being talkative to being quiet. I don't like when you're quiet. You look like you're stuck in your head."

"Most of the time, I am." He sighs, forcing himself to sit up.

"What…what do you think about?" She follows his example and sits up.

"Just…what I'm going to do. You know, with my life." He leans his elbows on his knees, "Wondering if – nothing. Don't worry about it."

Maddie looks like she's going to argue – to tell Danny to continue – but she sits up, looking past Danny. For a moment he thinks it's the ghost again but he turns to find Jack sticking his head in the doorway.

"We found an attic access in the hall. You guys find anything?"

"Only dust bunnies." Maddie stands, patting herself down and sending dust out in puffs.

Jack smiles but doesn't laugh, "Come on. I wanna check out this attic."

"Okay but if we find a Ouija board, I'm out. I will leave all of you behind." Danny's only partially joking. He'd never liked Ouija boards, though he'd used some to mess with the popular kids back in high school. That had been fun but also unsettling.

Jack does laugh at that. He turns and heads out of the room. Maddie and Danny follow after him, easily spotting the pulled down ladder leading to the attic. Jack heads up first and Maddie is halfway up the ladder when Danny's ghost sense goes off.

"Uhh, I forgot my flashlight…" It's not a lie, "You go on up."

"If you see Vlad, tell him to hurry up!" Jack calls from the attic, "He was supposed to be up here already while I got you two!"

"Yeah, sure." Danny waves Maddie – who had stopped halfway up the ladder – to go on before he turns around and heads back to the room he'd already been in. He grabs his flashlight just so no one asks why he didn't grab it.

If the ghost isn't here, bothering him, and it isn't upstairs bothering Jack and Maddie…that must mean it's either alone or…

Or it's with Vlad.

Danny frowns, moving down the hall, looking for Vlad and the ghost.

He doesn't get far before he hears a loud thud coming from the first room he'd broken into. Danny quickly follows the noise.

Danny hadn't expected to find Vlad with his back against the wall. His flashlight is on the floor in the center of the room, pointing away from himself. Between the door and Vlad stands someone Danny doesn't recognize.

" _You useless piece of shit."_ His voice is almost faded, like it's coming from a distance, and Danny knows instantly that this is the ghost, _"You should do the world a favor and disappear! You'll never amount to anything!"_

Something about the way Vlad draws into himself at those words infuriates Danny. Before anything else can be said, he moves between Vlad and the middle aged man that the ghost seems to have taken the form of.

"Who the hell do you think you are?" Danny yells.

The ghost backs up, looking startled at Danny's interference.

Unlike earlier, the ghost stays put, watching Danny.

"What gives you the right to say something like that to him?" his voice nearly cracks as he moves closer to the ghost.

It backs up, putting more distance between itself and Vlad which Danny is grateful for.

" _He's awful. To you. To others. He's -_ "

"I don't care how awful you think he is!" Danny snaps, cutting the ghost off, "Nothing gives you the right to scare him like that! To torment him!"

" _Freaks get punished._ " It seems to lose a bit of its form. The features – which were already a bit blurry – blur and lose their sharpness, " _I got punished as so will he!_ "

"You don't get to hurt people just because someone hurt you!" Danny's hands tighten into fists, "How can you do to people what someone did to you? Wouldn't you want to protect them from feeling something you went through yourself?"

He's going out on a limb here but his gut tells him this is that little boy who died. Danny doesn't know how he died but – living in this house had to be terrible. If this was the boys' room…he'd be locked inside. And locked out of the master bedroom. Danny doesn't know how he died but…it couldn't have been good.

The ghost recoils a bit, backing up.

Danny moves closer, voice a bit gentler, "Why don't you…why don't you change back to your real form. We can…talk. Maybe I can help?"

That rarely works but he has to try. On the occasions that is has worked for Danny, it saved him a lot of frustration. And he can't exactly change to fight it off without revealing what he is to Vlad.

The ghost changes again and Danny can feel his gut sinking as it does. The hair remains dark but it goes from slicked back short hair to long tresses. The gray-blue eyes turn take on a more purple tone. The rough jawline turns into a heart shaped face. The well-tailored old style suit turns into a more modern outfit composed of a crop top, a skirt, and a pair of combat boots.

" _You think you can_ _ **help**_ _me?!_ " It screeches, looking furious.

Danny takes a step back, regretting his choice of words. He regrets coming here. Seeing Jazz was hard enough. That sight would haunt him for a while.

But Sam?

She could be so much worse.

" _You're not good enough to help anyone_!" Danny barely has enough time to realize it's crying before it lunges at him.

Danny lets out a grunt as his back collides with the ground. His head smacks into the floor, dazing him just a bit.

" _You can't help yourself!"_ Danny opens his eyes just in time to watch the ghost above him wrap its hands around his throat, cutting off his air, " _How do you think you're going to help me?_ "

Danny instinctually grabs the ghosts' arms, trying to break its grip but it's no use.

" _You're not good enough! You're not special enough!_ " It scowls, tightening its grip.

Danny makes a choking sound, trying to fight it off. He won't die but his instincts are going haywire.

"L-like you are?" Danny manages to get out, glaring at the ghost.

Which is the wrong thing to say, judging by 'Sam's furious expression.

It lifts one hand from Danny's throat and raises it up, " _I am better than all of you simpletons!_ "

He has half a second to register that that is _not_ Sam's voice before it's shoving its hand down in to his chest.

All the air leaves him and his vision goes black as he screams in pain. Or he would be screaming, if he had any air. Unfortunately, sound require air, even if Danny doesn't.

It hurts so badly. Almost like when he'd gone through that portal. Like when he'd half-died that night in his basement. It doesn't take long before Danny's body yields and Danny blacks out from the pain.

The sound of Danny's pain – even if he wasn't screaming – is terrifying. But the sight of Danny's body going limp is somehow so much worse than that.

The ghost – the one who had looked like his father not that long ago – seems to root through Danny's chest, moving up from his lungs and towards his heart.

If it's touch had taken away Danny's breath, what would it do when it reached his heart?

Vlad manages to force his legs to move and he scrambles forward, grabbing his flashlight from where it is on the floor in front of him. Vaguely, he hears Jack and Maddie calling out for him and Danny but he's more fixated on the ghost.

It seems to be frozen with its hand in Danny's chest. Danny's still unconscious but his face is pinched in pain.

" _What are you?_ " It asks but Danny is out and cannot answer.

It takes him a few tries to get his voice to work but eventually he calls out, "Hey! Get away from him!"

The ghost startles and pulls his hand away from Danny's chest, looking up at Vlad. He could swear it looks confused and scared.

Vlad can hear Jack and Maddie just outside the hallway. Without thinking, Vlad throws his flashlight at the ghost.

It seems to spook the ghost enough to make it disappear. Without another thought, Vlad moves over to Danny. The first thing he does is check for a pulse.

He finds one and relief floods through him, much to his surprise.

"Danny! Hey, Danny, wake up!" Vlad calls out, trying to get Danny to wake up. To give Vlad more proof that he's not dead.

Jack and Maddie come racing into the room and stop at the doorway at the sight of Danny unconscious on the floor and Vlad kneeling over him.

"Vlad! What happened to Danny?!" Jack demands, coming over to Vlad's side.

"That ghost – I don't know – it – it did something to him. He's not dead but he's out. He's not waking up."

Maddie kneels down on the other side of Danny and she shakes him, carefully, "Danny! Danny, it's time to get up!"

He stirs at that and Vlad can feel more relief as Danny's blue eyes open. He mumbles something about school before his eyes close again.

"We need to get him outside." Jack frowns, pulling Danny's arm over his shoulder.

"You're right. Let's get out of here!" Vlad's never seen Maddie look so worried but as he pulls Danny's other arm over his shoulder, he can understand why. Danny is incredibly limp and he's all dead weight, making their job of moving him that much harder.

Part of him expects the ghost to pop up again and try to stop them but they get out of the house and back onto the sidewalk without any issues.

Vlad is so relieved to be out of that house. He hadn't realized just how…haunting a presence it had until now. Which is an apt description, considering the ghostly tenant.

Jack and Vlad carefully lay Danny down on the sidewalk so he's lying down on his side, facing the road. Maddie kneels down behind him, moving his hair out of his face.

The three of them are silent for a moment before Jack looks at Vlad, "The ghost…it attacked Danny? In front of you?"

Vlad looks up at Jack, "It – it was attacking _me._ Danny was right, it wasn't his sister. The ghost in there it…copied people we knew…" he drops his gaze, "It took the form of…my father. It was yelling at me and I was curled up against the wall in the beginning of a panic attack when…when Danny came running in. Jack, he put himself between me and that thing. It changed into some dark haired girl. She was wearing black and – it attacked Danny. It shoved its hand into his chest!" He can hear his own worry, which is a bit confusing.

"We need to take him to a hospital. Just to be safe." Maddie says, resting her hand on Danny's arm.

"No," Danny says, shocking them all. His words are slurred and it doesn't look like he can get his eyes to open all the way but he's semi-conscious again.

"Danny! Are you alright?" Jack asks, kneeling in front of Danny.

"Mm fine. 's fruitloop okay?" He moves a bit but Vlad can't tell if he's trying to get up or get comfortable.

Jack looks back at Vlad with a confused look. Vlad just shrugs.

"Danny, you're not making any sense." Maddie's voice is soothing, "We need to take you to a hospital."

"No, 'm fine." He opens his eyes and looks at Jack, not even noticing Vlad standing behind him, "Is Vlad okay?"

"Yeah, yeah, he's fine." Jack huffs, laughing a little, "Did you call him fruitloop?"

Danny mutters something unintelligent and closes his eyes.

Vlad kneels beside Jack and, well, he wouldn't call it panic but he's worried. He doesn't want Danny passing out again.

"Hey, Danny, open your eyes." Vlad lets out a sigh of relief as Danny does so.

Danny mumbles something unintelligent. All Vlad can manage to understand is 'Sam is gone'.

"Danny, come on, wake up. We don't want to have to carry you home." Vlad tries to joke but it falls flat.

"You okay?" Danny's voice is small and tired and it's still slurred a bit but…he sounds like he's actually concerned.

"I'm…I'm fine." Vlad knows Maddie and Jack are staring at him, "T-thank you. For trying to protect me."

Danny makes more unintelligent noise and no matter how many times he's has to interpret for Jack while he's drunk, he has no idea what Danny said that time. Danny reaches out with one hand and he misses Vlad's arm entirely before he pats it. Then his arm falls flat and Danny is out again.

"Danny? Danny, come on!"

It's no use. None of them can get Danny to wake up again.

Maddie sighs, patting Danny's head a little before she pushes herself up onto her feet, "We should have stayed together. This never would have happened if we'd have stayed together."

"It's too late for that now, Mads." Jack tells her, "Let's just…let's get home, yeah?"

"Sounds like a plan to me." Vlad folds his arms in front of himself, looking down at Danny as he stands up.

Danny had put himself between Vlad and a hostile ghost. One that had taken the form of his dead sister. One that had attacked him physically and verbally. He'd put his own safety at risk for Vlad.

Looking back on it a bit…he'd done the same thing for Maddie, hadn't he? Put himself between her and a group of thugs. Put his safety on the line for her.

Had he been wrong? Was Danny just…that kind of person? Some idiot with a hero complex? Someone stupidly good like Jack?

"Vlad? What's wrong?" Maddie asks, leaving Jack to carefully move Danny over his shoulder.

"I just…I was thinking about what that ghost said. While it was…while it looked like my dad. And while it looked like his sister."

"It took the form of his sister, too?" Maddie asks, confused.

"What do you mean?" He turns to Maddie.

"You said it looked like a dark haired woman. The one Danny called his sister had hair like mine. Well, color. Her hair was straight."

Vlad hesitates, "Then…that wasn't his sister…" He hadn't been able to see the ghost when it had been in the room with Danny. It had disappeared already when Jack had moved out of the way.

It had taken the form of someone else Danny had lost then? He'd heard Danny say he'd lost a lot of people but…it had just been words until now…

"I guess not…" Maddie turns to look at Danny before she looks back at Vlad, "Did it…say anything to you as your dad?"

"Just…things I've heard before. You don't have to worry." He frowns, looking away.

"Just because you've heard them before doesn't mean it's okay to hear them again." Maddie frowns.

"No, Maddie, you don't get it. It said things my father said. Verbatim." Vlad looks at the floor, "It…it sounded _just_ like him. It told me that I should…I should disappear and that's all I wanted to do. If Danny hadn't shown up…"

Maddie rests her hand on his arm before she pulls him into a hug.

"Do you think…" Vlad's voice is low as he thinks out loud, "Do you think this ghost could read minds? I mean, a psychic claimed to live here…maybe the ghost is psychic and it read through the things that hurt you most." Jack looks worried, even as he says that.

Maddie pulls away and Vlad frowns, missing the comfort already, "I guess it would be possible but -"

"Wait…then….the things it said as his sister." Jack joins their conversation, "Are those things Danny's heard before? Or is it things he'd never want to hear?"

The three of them stand around in silence, awkwardly not looking at Danny who is unconscious over Jack's shoulder.

"We…we all need some…distance. And some sleep. Let's…let's get home, yeah?" Maddie suggests, starting the walk back to campus.

Vlad's not sure if he's going to be able to sleep tonight but he follows Jack as he heads back to their dorms. Honestly, seeing his father would normally be enough to keep him up but…his mind seems to be hyper focused on Danny.


	14. Chapter 14

Waking up is harder that Sunday morning than Danny can ever remember it being.

Well, that's not true. There were plenty of times back when he was fourteen that he'd gotten his ass handed to him and he'd crashed hard. It's kind of like that except he's not used to it so it feels so much worse.

He lifts his head out of the comforting confines of the fluffy blue comforter and blinks at Jack and Vlad's dorm room.

' _How did I..?'_ He frowns, trying to recall what all had happened last light.

His memories of the house are clear to a point. The ghost taking on the form of Jazz, his fight with Vlad, finding Vlad cornered by the ghost…

He'd confronted that ghost and it had changed into Sam but…after that, everything is fuzzy.

Jack must have pulled him out of the house and back here. Must have put the comforter over him and let him sleep until – Danny looks over at the alarm clock over on the desk – six at night.

"Jesus." Danny sits up and scrubs over his eyes with both hands. That means he must have slept something like twelve hours…he wishes he'd slept longer.

He rubs at the back of his neck, feeling stiff and sore and exhausted, but stops when he spots a large safety box with a note sitting on top of it.

He grabs the note, frowning.

 _Danny,_

 _Someone named T.K. dropped this off for you Saturday evening. Says it's for you. Jack and I are going out for dinner so the others don't bother you. We'll bring you back something to eat. Don't go anywhere._

 _-V_

Danny blinks, looking at the signature. Vlad had been the one to leave a note?

He shakes his head and decides to leave _that_ mystery for when Vlad gets back.

Instead, he focuses on the box in front of him. Someone had dropped it off for him? It's got a rotary lock but he doesn't know the combination. How is he supposed to know the combination?

"Who even knows I'm here?" Danny asks himself.

He looks back at the note and puzzle over just who T.K. is supposed to be. His first thought is the blonde character from Digimon but that's obviously not right. He ponders over it for a few moments before giving up.

He sighs and pulls out his phone to text Clockwork when it hits him.

Time Keeper.

Had Clockwork sent him this? If so, he obviously expects Danny to figure out the code.

His parents had used their anniversary as the combo for the rotary lock. He slides in the numbers and lets out a small surprised noise when it clicks right open.

Well then.

Danny opens the box. Inside is an assortment of things. First and foremost, a sealed letter addressed to him with fancy cursive writing on it. There's a small note taped to the back that Danny reads first.

 _Daniel,_

 _As you've probably guessed, I sent you this safety box. Inside, you'll find everything you need to get back on your feet. There's a letter explaining where you got your help if you want to 'accidentally' let your friends see it._

Something tells him that last part is directed at Vlad.

He opens the envelope, a little surprised to see the letter is handwritten. He'd expected a typed up letter, not...this. Fancy cursive.

Danny only glances it over but it spins a story about an old friend of his mother's. How they're Danny's godfather. T.K. talks about hearing the terrible news from a friend and heard that Danny was still alive and set out to help him.

He sets the letter on the table and crumples up the note that had been attached to it. He doesn't really want to read it again but he might just have to show Vlad or Jack.

He goes back to the box, shocked to find a brand new ID. It's even issued from Amity Park and not here in Wisconsin. He finds his wallet and slides the new ID in front of his old ID.

Next up he finds a legitimate Birth Certificate. Or, well, a convincing fake. It even has his actual birthday and name so he doesn't have to worry about memorizing new information. The box even has his social security card. Even that manages to be the exact same number. He doesn't know how many things Clockwork had to alter to get that to work but Danny is so grateful.

With all of those things taken care of, he wonders what else could possibly be taking up space in the box.

He pulls out a yellow-orange business envelope and opens it. He pulls out the papers and blinks.

They're...credit card statements. Bank statements. Bank accounts in _his name._ He hesitates and continues sorting through them. He'd have to ask someone where the nearest branch of this bank is so he can head down there and figure out how much he has in his bank account. In his saving account.

Sounds weird to think he has a savings account. Two weeks ago he was jobless.

He shuffles the papers back into the envelope before he grabs the last item in the box. It's a small almost cardboard...sleeve. Like to protect small four by six paper. Like photos.

He puts everything back into the safety box except the letter and the photos before he carefully opens the package.

Right away, his heart breaks. It has a few photos. Real, tangible photo's.

The first is of him and Jazz standing in front of Harvard on her first day there. She's still so baby faced that it hurts. She hadn't even waited a semester. She wanted to get out of Amity Park as fast as possible.

Danny didn't blame her. In fact, he'd wanted out, too.

But not like this. Not...not like this. Not back in the 80s. Not all alone.

The next is a picture of him and Jazz sitting at the beach. Their family had gone on a trip. An actual, ghost-free trip. It had been after...Danny had his nasty deal with the GiW and his family wanted to distract him. He and Jazz aren't even looking at the camera. They're looking the other way out at the beach.

He flips the photo over and nearly cries when he sees his moms' handwriting.

 _Jazz and Danny at the beach._

It's not even sentimental but it has Danny in tears.

He tucks it at the back of the small pile and looks at the next. Him and Sam and Tucker sitting in front of Danny's first bike. It's sitting in the garage and it was an old bike in Danny's time but it'd be state of the art right now. Nothing in the picture shows off the fact that it's from the future except maybe their fashion sense.

Then it's Jazz and Dash and their kids. It'd been the photo for their Christmas card.

' _Oh god. Christmas.'_

Dread rolls through Danny and he puts the pictures down. There aren't any more to go through and the thought of having to deal with Jack and Maddie arguing during Christmas makes him anxious.

He shakes off those thoughts and digs out his phone. He pulls up Clockworks' contact and texts him.

 _Thank you for the stuff. It'll help me out a lot. -Danny._

The reply takes a minute which Danny uses to look over the pictures again. His favorite, by far, is of him and Jazz standing in front of her school sign. It was the start of their actual friendship. While she was living at home, they'd butted heads too much. Sure, they'd gotten along while in high school but they'd gotten to know each other better - as real people - once Jazz had entered college. She'd stopped being overprotected once she'd gone to college.

His phone buzzes and he checks the reply text.

 _I'm glad to be of help. It was the least I could do after what happened. -Clockwork_

Danny's leg bounces, a nervous tick of his, and he bites on his thumb nail before he replies.

 _What was that ghost? - Danny_

 _The one in the house not far from campus. -Danny_

It was able to mimic Jazz and Sam. It also copied someone else.

There's a bit of a pause before there's a reply.

 _Clarence Williams, died in 1882. He and his mother were both psychic. -Clockwork_

Danny frowns. It's not…farfetched. Ghosts exist, after all. Why wouldn't psychics? Mediums?

 _So he retained his psychic powers after death? -Danny_

 _To some degree. His powers are less intrusive than his mothers' were. He can only glance at what a person remembers, not delve in deep. Did you notice the forms he took of your sister and friend were fuzzy? -Clockwork_

Danny folds his hands and sighs, looking at his phone.

 _So… -Danny_

 _Who was he mimicking when he was attacking Vlad? -Danny_

He feels a little guilty asking but it's been bugging him. He had his suspicions but…

 _Vladimir's father. -Clockwork_

And that's...well, he was right.

 _Would you like me to tell you their story or would you prefer to get it out of Vladimir somewhere down the line? -Clockwork_

Danny wants...well, to get closer to Vlad but not through unfair means. He'd like to learn about Vlad from Vlad.

 _If I still don't know in a year, I'll ask you. –Danny_

 _Wise choice. –Clockwork_

Danny snorts and shakes his head, tucking his phone away into his front pocket. Just in time, too, because the door opens. Vlad and Jack come inside, surprisingly quiet all things considered, and shut the door behind them.

"Welcome back." Danny greets, grabbing the small stack of photos and putting them inside their protective case.

Jack startles just a bit before he looks at Danny and grins, "You're awake! We were starting to worry about you!"

Jack comes barreling over and it looks like he's going to yank Danny into a bear hug when Vlad speaks up, "Gentle, Jack. We don't know if he's hurt!"

He stops two steps from Danny and grins sheepishly before patting Danny on the shoulder, "Right. How you feeling?"

"Exhausted. Little stiff, I guess. I feel like I got sucker punched in the ribs." Danny shrugs. He'd felt worse.

"Makes sense after that ghost kicked your butt." Jack teases.

"Is that what happened?" Danny looks over at Vlad as he comes over and drops a bag onto the table in front of Danny.

"You…don't remember?" Vlad asks slowly, as if carefully picking his words.

He's…odd. But he's not angry so Danny's not going to look a gift horse in the mouth.

"Uh, I'm guessing no." Danny reaches for the bag but hesitates, looking over at Vlad.

Vlad just motions for the bag and sits backwards on the chair at his desk, "What do you remember?"

"Uh," Danny reaches into the bag and pulls out a burger and fries, both of which are still warm, "I remember that ghost turning into Sam and then I remember waking up on your couch. What'd I miss?"

"Touchy feely talk with Vlad." Jack squats down, looking into the box.

"He serious?" Danny asks Vlad as he takes a bite of the burger.

"No. Though, I did thank you. For…you know, stepping in." Vlad folds his arms over the back of the chair and leans his chin on his arms, looking off at the wall and refusing to look at Danny.

"No problem," Danny says as he eats.

Jack reaches into the box and goes to grab the folder holding Danny's birth certificate and Danny smacks away his hand. Can't have him seeing Danny's last name and getting suspicious.

"Hey!" Jack holds his hand, pouting up at Danny.

"Jack, buddy, I'm immeasurably grateful for you letting me stay here but that's all confidential, _personal_ information. Social Security, Birth Certificate." He frowns, "Bank statements. Speaking of which, either of you know where there's a Chase around here?"

"You have a bank account we don't know about?" Vlad asks, frowning, "If so, I want reimbursement for that burger."

"Vladdie, don't be like that."

"No, it's fine." Danny shrugs, "Just add it to the money you want for 'rent'."

"We don't want rent money." Jack frowns, "You're our friend."

"Jack, he's staying here -"

"No. No money. No paying." Jack scowls, "Friends don't make friends pay when they need a place to crash."

He stands up, looking peeved, before he storms into their bedroom. Danny just hesitates before looking over at Vlad.

"Sore spot?" Danny asks.

"Yeah," Vlad doesn't give an explanation so Danny doesn't push.

"So….I should ask Jenny about that Chase?"

"Uh, yeah. I think she'd be your best bet for directions. I think there's one close by. Not that far from campus if you have a car."

"I do not." Danny frowns.

Suddenly his appetite is gone but he keeps eating anyway. He knows he has to.

He'd just ask Jenny or Dean. They'd have to know.

Danny finishes off his burger and is halfway through his fries before Vlad says anything.

"I think we should talk."

"Are you breaking up with me?" Danny stops short. It was his usual go-to joke whenever someone said that to him. With Vlad –

"Wha- No!" Vlad grabs the back of his chair and scowls at Danny.

The scowl is watered down, though, by the blush on Vlad's cheeks.

Danny blinks, confused.

That hadn't been the reaction he'd expected but…okay.

"Good…" Danny hesitates, "I don't think the children could handle us breaking up."

"C-Children? What are you talking about?" Vlad stands up, squinting at Danny.

"It's a joke, Vlad." Danny laughs, "When someone usually says 'I think we should talk' it's between a couple and it usually precedes 'I think we should see other people' or – my favorite – 'I cheated on you.' And by favorite, I mean that one really hurt but -"

"I get it! It was a joke." Vlad paces around the room twice before he moves over the table and sits next to Danny, "Stupid joke but – nevermind. Look -" He looks over at Danny and pauses before he stands up and paces around the room again.

Danny watches for a moment before he frowns, "Vlad, just sit down. Whatever you want to say, just say it."

Vlad faces Danny and just stares him down for a solid minute before he takes a deep breath, lifting his hands as if to help himself just say it but nothing comes out.

Danny remains silent, just waiting.

Vlad sighs and sags in his chair, "I'm…I'm no good with words."

"So….write it down?" Danny offers.

Vlad grumbles something and Danny can't help but laugh. He looks like a petulant child and, well, so 'undignified'.

"Don't laugh."

"Okay." Danny nibbles on the last of his fries, watching Vlad.

Vlad groans, scrubbing his hands over his face before he looks at Danny, "I…I'm sorry. Yesterday, I said some things that were…so far out of line. I never should have insinuated anything near what I did."

Danny is silent for only a moment before he replies, "Thank you for the apology. I…I get _why_ you're suspicious. I mean, I'm a stranger. Honestly, I'm not sure how Jack can trust me so implicitly."

Vlad sighs, "But?"

"But that was fucked up." Danny frowns, "I love my family. To imply that I would ever hurt them -"

"I know." Vlad's expression is pinched.

Danny wants to take the low road. Be petty and hold a grudge against Vlad for saying this. It would be so easy. It's _Vlad_ , after all.

Instead, he decides to take the high road, "I forgive you. That doesn't mean I'm going to just forget about it but I can't just dwell on this. It's not healthy to obsess over things."

"Just like that?" Vlad asks, looking in Danny's direction but not looking at Danny himself.

"Just like that." Danny stands up, stretching his arms and yawning, "I think I need a shower."

Vlad gets up and heads over to his and Jack's room, "I'll grab the toiletries."

"Oh." That's odd but…okay. "Thanks."

"No problem."

Vlad disappears into the bedroom and Danny closes the box, spinning to rotary lock so it's not sitting on the combo. He picks it up and moves it over to the side of the couch where his duffle bag is lying. It's not huge but it's not small either, so he can't exactly shove it in the duffle with all of his clothes inside.

He grabs a change of clothes and zips his bag back up right as Vlad comes back out with the necessities Danny needs along with a towel and Vlad's backpack.

Danny takes the things he needs, "You're going to be up for a while?"

"It's barely 7. Yesterday may have been tiring but I'm not going to sleep until ten at the earliest."

"Good." Danny nods more to himself, "Was just a bit worried, I guess. Didn't want to inconvenience you."

Vlad sits down at his desk again and pulls a binder out of his backpack. Danny had thought he'd finish his homework before the house yesterday but evidently not.

It's not his place to question so he leaves it alone and heads off to take a shower.

Vlad waits a few minutes after the door clicks shut to make sure Danny is gone before he gets up and goes over to the table.

His curiosity had been piqued but he had the smarts to wait until Danny is gone to go snooping, unlike Jack.

He grabs the letter first.

 _Daniel,_

 _My name is T.K. You don't know me personally but your mother and I went to college together. We were rather close but due to jobs, the distance, and personal matters, we ended up drifting apart over the years. We kept in touch, though not as much in recent years. She'd send me pictures of you and your sister. Of your family. I'd sent pictures as well. We'd send letters once a year, telling each other about our lives. About our families._

 _I feel as if I already know you, even though the last time I saw you, you were just an infant. That must have been over twenty years ago. I do not know if you know this but she named me your God-father when you were born. Seeing as you're an adult and I do not know you, I thought you might find it awkward to have me showing up at your friends' doorstep so I put together some things you might be in need of. If you want, you'd be welcome to come live with me in New York._

 _I've included a card with my number. Please, if you have any need of me, call._

 _T.K._

Vlad doesn't know how to feel about the invitation to live somewhere. Sure, this guy is claiming to know Danny and his family but…

He shakes his head and puts the letter back where it was, exactly how it was folded. He doesn't want to think about how the letter makes him feel. He doesn't want to bother with that.

He's about to head back to his desk when he spots the small cardboard case. He grabs it and carefully opens it, pulling out the photographs.

There's a small note stuck in the cardboard and Vlad has to be careful to not rip it as he tries to get it out. It has the same writing as the letter.

 _I thought you might like to have some of the pictures your mother sent me over the years. I'm sorry there aren't more but these were the ones I could scrape together right now._

He frowns and looks through the photo's. He finds the ginger haired girl and Danny in front of Harvard, grinning away at the camera. She looks a bit older here but it's definitely her. She almost reminds Vlad of Maddie…

She has similar eyes…and hair…

' _It must be so hard for Danny to look at Maddie…_ ' Vlad realizes, frowning.

Another picture has the other girl the ghost had imitated and a black boy sitting with Danny and a fancy bike. It looks spotless and well taken care of and shiny. State of the art.

Where is it right now? Had Danny lost it when he lost everything else?

What _exactly_ happened?

Something about Danny's story still doesn't add up for Vlad but…it's obvious that he loved them. And from the photos…they loved him.

He looks at the next picture and stops.

Danny is there with the girl – his sister – and they're on the beach, looking out at the ocean. Neither of them is facing the camera but he can still see their faces.

Something looks off about Danny.

The door opens and Vlad jumps, nearly dropping the small stack of photos as he squeaks. He looks over and sighs with relief when he sees that it was just Jack coming out of their room.

"Jumpy?" Jack raises an eyebrow, "What are you – Vlad, are you snooping?"

Jack grins moving over to Vlad who keeps the photos out of Jack's clumsy hands, "N-no! I just – they were lying there and -"

"You are! You're snooping! I knew it!"

Vlad hushes Jack and he can feel his face warming up, "Just – hush."

"Anything good?" Jack asks, looking almost as interested in Danny's secrets as he usually does when concerning ghosts.

"Uh…there's a letter from his god-father. So we know who T.K. is. Not sure exactly how he found out Danny was _here_ but he sent that box."

"What's in the box?" Jack asks.

"No clue. But Danny left out these pictures and the letter on accident." Vlad looks back at the photo.

He still can't figure out what's wrong with it. With Danny's face.

"What's the letter say?"

"Just who he is to Danny. The two only met once when Danny was a toddler or something…" Vlad frowns, "He invited Danny to live with him."

"Oh, good. Bet you're glad about that."

"In New York." Vlad adds.

"Even better for you."

Vlad looks over to see Jacks smug face, "W-what?"

"You don't sound excited about Danny leaving." Jack folds his arms.

"I-I am – I just think it sucks to have to relocate once but to do it twice so close together would be terrible! Especially to move halfway across the country to live with a stranger-"

"You don't want Danny to leave!" Jack grins, as if he's some ace detective.

"I do! I _do_ want Danny to leave!" Vlad's face gets warmer, "He's annoying to have around and he acts like he knows everything and -"

"You like Danny!" Jack's grin is somehow so much worse than his smug face.

"No!" Vlad's voice breaks – or as Jack likes to put it 'squeaks' – and he knows he's caught.

"I knew it!" Jack hugs Vlad close, "I knew you'd come around!"

Vlad grumbles and wiggles out of Jack's bear hug, "I don't! I don't like him I just don't hate him, okay?"

"Sure, sure. Whatever you say Vlad." Jack practically sings, bumping his shoulder against Vlad's.

Vlad hates how embarrassed he feels.

"It's fine, Vladdie. No need to get all weird." Jack sits on the couch, "I knew you'd like him once you got to know him."

' _It's not that…'_ Vlad thinks to himself.

"What's that?" Jack sits up, looking at Vlad's hands.

Vlad realizes that he's still holding Danny's pictures. He shows them to Jack with the one of Danny and his sister at the beach.

Jack takes the photo and looks it over.

"Hey, does Danny look…off?" Jack asks, looking over at Vlad.

"So it's not just me." Vlad frowns, "I can't figure out what, though."

"Maybe we're just seeing things?" Jack shrugs, giving the photos back to Vlad.

Vlad sigh and puts the photos back in the right order with the note before he puts them back, "I'm not going to ask him."

"Smart." Jack sprawls out on the couch and looks over at the desk, surprised to see Vlad's stuff set up.

"I thought you finished your homework." Jack asks.

Vlad shrugs, "I…I did. I was just…gonna work on something."

Vlad puts the photo case back where he'd found it and turns to sit at the desk again.

"Oh. Writing a letter to your mom?"

"Y-yeah." Vlad doesn't look at Jack as he pulls out the half written letter he has done.

"Good. I think she enjoys your letters."

' _Then why doesn't she write back?'_ Vlad sighs.

Danny comes back inside then, hair all brushed out and still wet, "Hey."

"Hey." Jack greets back, getting up off the couch, "Feeling better?"

"Little bit. Think I'm going to crash against, though. Still exhausted." Danny lifts the toiletries a bit, "What should I do with these?"

"Leave them out. I need a shower." Vlad tells him.

Dany nods and sets the toiletries on Jack's cleared desk.

"Well, I'm going to chill in my room for a bit." Jack waves, retreating back into their room and leaving Vlad and Danny in the front room.

"Should I turn off the light?" Vlad asks, looking back at Danny.

Danny gives him a confused look before he shakes his head, "No. I can sleep with the light on. I can sleep just about anywhere."

Vlad nods and goes back to his letter. He purposefully ignores any and all shuffling from Danny behind him.

Almost half an hour later, he gets tired of writing his letter so her stands up and turns to Danny, a question on his lips.

He stops short when he sees Danny asleep on the couch, comforter covering his lower half. His head is resting on the arm of the couch and his right arm is hanging off the couch with one of the photos in his hand.

Vlad sighs and clears off the table, carefully putting Danny's things in his little corner. Then he grabs the picture out of Danny's loose grip.

It's the picture of him and his sister in front of the Harvard sign…

Vlad thinks of his own sister and sighs, putting the photo on the table. He turns to Danny and pulls the comforter up so it's covering his shoulders.

"I think Jack might have been right…" Vlad sighs, grabbing the toiletries and heading towards the door.

As he hits the light switch, he hears a bit of shuffling so he looks back.

Danny rolled over so he's facing the back of the couch and the large comforter is hanging halfway off the couch.

He looks…like he belongs there.

'It's only because he's been here for weeks now.' Vlad tries to tell himself.

Jacks words ring in his ears and Vlad closes the door before heading down the hallway to use the shower.

 _You don't want Danny to leave._


End file.
